The pamphlet explains that AIDS -- Aquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome -- is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus; that the initial HIV infection may not produce symptoms, and that the infected person can transmit the disease long before it acquires the status of full-blown AIDS.

It warns that, despite the best efforts of medical science, no effective HIV vaccine has been developed, HIV infection cannot be eradicated from the body, and that present treatments can only lengthen the life of AIDS sufferers.

It stresses that the principal vector for the disease is the exchange of bodily fluids during sex, and that consistent condom use during sex is vital. The risks of sharing needles in drug use and tattooing as sources of infection are also underscored.

It advises that abstaining from sex or having sex only within a single, lifelong monogamous relationship are the only certain preventive measures, and that condom use can greatly reduce the risk of infection.

Readers seeking more information are referred to In the Know Zone, Fox Pro Media's free online STD information site, and to the national and international AIDS hotlines.