Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Idiots everywhere I turn

The above-the-fold headline in today's Detroit News: AIDS RATES DOUBLE FOR MICHIGAN YOUTH.

Do not be fooled - it was not tucked away in the "Health" section.
Idiocy right on the front page.

So I would have expected that 25 years into this epidemic any reasonably intelligent person - such as a newspaper journalist or editor - would be clear on the difference between HIV and AIDS. HIV is the virus. People with HIV don't necessarily have AIDS. AIDS is a syndrome caused by the effects of virus. They are not the same thing. It's pretty elementary.

AIDS rates have not doubled - as a matter of fact they have plummeted since the mid-1990s. It is HIV infection rates that are found to have doubled.

It's an excellent sensationalist headline though. So I guess, nice job, Detroit News. Be proud.

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