[Dealing with AIDS in a North Rhine Westphalia large city: Bottrop]

The various Public Health offices in North Rhine Westphalia are making a substantial contribution towards AIDS prevention means of their relevant concepts. Regional and political individualities as well as local structures can exercise a positive or a negative effect on concrete AIDS prevention work. Cities like Düsseldorf, Köln, Essen etc., enjoy material and personal advantages. Smaller communities (like Bottrop) must rely entirely on creative working concepts. The AIDS prevention concept of Bottrop (a city situated in the northern Ruhr area with a population of 120,000), consisting of sexual education and paedagogical approaches, is presented. The information aims at specific groups, but has no ideological strings attached. The report refers to five main points of working: 1. AIDS prevention with special attention to adolescents in school and out-of-school contexts. 2. Medical advice by institutions. 3. Daily AIDS consulting hours in the Public Health office. 4. Planning and realisation of an action day 'Health Day'. 5. Working with drug addicts. In addition, there is an epidemiological approach. The overall aims are the prevention or infection and a human psychosocial spectrum of advice without excluding anyone.