HIV: myths persist.

• Position: TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS - Brief article

One-third of all new HIV infections occur in young people between the ages of 13 and 29. Why? According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll in 2009, some have misconceptions about how the disease is transmitted. Nearly 30 percent believed at least one myth about how HIV is spread, such as through water in a swimming pool or by sharing a drinking glass.

The White House Office of National AIDS Policy's official strategy aims to reduce new infections by 25 percent in five years through better education and screening among higher risk populations, including young people.

Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia already require schools to provide HIV/AIDS instruction, although these laws vary, according to the Guttmacher Institute. A survey by the Centers for Disease Control in 2006 showed 85 percent of high schools said they teach how HIV is transmitted.

The National AIDS strategy recommends schools improve...