AIDS No. 1 O.C. Killer in 1990 of Those 25-44 : Death: The county Health Care Agency found homicide to be the second leading cause for children, 10 to 14.

AIDS became the leading cause of death among Orange County residents ages 25 to 44 by 1990, and homicide became the second leading cause of death among children 10 to 14, a new analysis shows.

The report by the county Health Department, which examined the years 1988 through 1990, found that the AIDS jumped ahead of the previous leading causes of death--traffic accidents and heart disease--for those in their mid-20s to mid-40s. Homicide, previously the eighth cause of death among the young category, became the most common killer of them, second only to car crashes.

“Homicides of young people probably show the increase in gang violence and also (child) abuse by parents and other adults,” Dr. Rick Greenwood, deputy director of public health, said Thursday.

Greenwood said the increase in deaths from illnesses related to AIDS among people 25 to 44 shows that the long-dormant human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) has exploded into many full-blown cases of the fatal disease. He noted that people can test positive for HIV and remain healthy for years before AIDS symptoms appear.

“The HIV deaths show that the virus, which may have been in incubation for many years, is now killing significant numbers of people, and that (trend) will probably continue,” Greenwood said.

Greenwood said both trends--increases in AIDS deaths and increases in homicides of children--are social issues the public needs to know about. He said education could help stem some of these deaths.

The analysis of the years 1988, 1989 and 1990 has just now been completed, Greenwood said, because there is always a lag in analyzing yearly causes of deaths.

Greenwood said that except for the jump in HIV-related deaths and the increase in slayings of young children, no other significant changes showed up in the analysis for that period.

Dr. Hildy Meyers, a county epidemiologist, noted Thursday that because no one knows how many people in Orange County have the AIDS virus, it is impossible to predict whether deaths from the disease will increase or begin to level off.

“We only have bits and pieces (of HIV statistics) from such things as some testing among pregnant women and jail inmates,” Meyers said.

She added that the number of deaths from AIDS may begin to level off.

“We could always hope,” she said. “We did see in the late 1980s that some sexually transmitted diseases did begin to decrease among homosexual men and that was due to education.”

AIDS deaths, both in Orange County and nationwide, are most prevalent among homosexual men, but the disease can strike men and women, homosexual and heterosexual alike.

Pearl Jemison-Smith, a registered nurse who is chairwoman of ACTION (AIDS Coalition to Identify Orange County Needs), said on Thursday that the increased number of AIDS deaths in the county calls for stepped-up prevention efforts.

“We’re not doing enough education,” Jemison-Smith said. “An inordinate number of people are dying with the disease.”

HIV Death Toll Explodes

AIDS, a relatively minor cause of death in Orange County among young adults in 1988, has vaulted to the top of the leading killer list among both 25- to 34- and 35- to 44-year-olds. In 1988, it was the fourth cause of death behind car accidents, heart disease and suicide. But in 1990, it was No. 1.

25-34 YEARS OLD

1988-90 1988-90 1988 1989 1990 Total Deaths % Change Automobile accidents 87 75 79 241 -9 AIDS 18 74 92 184 +411 Heart disease 25 29 32 86 +28 Suicide 60 57 49 166 -18

35-44 YEARS OLD

1988-90 1988-90 1988 1989 1990 Total Deaths % Change Automobile accidents 66 46 42 154 -36 AIDS 12 78 95 185 +692 Heart disease 78 77 61 216 -22 Suicide 50 53 59 162 +18

Source: Orange County Health Care Agency