I think the younger gay men especially, are thinking that HIV/AIDS is just something you take a pill for, you know? Does that make any sense? The flip-side of successful "cocktail" drug treatment.
Keep the faith, hon. Maybe you'll like my mantra as a social worker: If you reach one person a month - even in six months or in a year - you've changed a life. In your case, you've not only changed a life, you've saved a life! Please don't forget that! *hugs*
It's funny--I look at this article and see, as much as depressing news, an incomplete picture. In my hat as a science writer, I wish people would provide error rates. An 8% increase with 9% error is no increase at all, for instance. And considering differing demographics in different states, the states reporting (and their shifting demographic makeup) may have made a difference, since state-to-state sample makeup variation is likely to be considerable. And reporting methodologies have improved in the last few years, which makes a difference too. Not to mention that as the surviving base of people living with HIV increases, you *expect* a certain amount of increase in transmission (because there is likely to be a correlation between that population and number of undiagnosed individuals with HIV, if for no other reason.)
So, belatedly, don't be in too much of a hurry to be depressed. Not saying that complacency is a good thing or doesn't exist, but without a *lot* more information than the article presented, the numbers are pretty meaningless. They're probably meaningfully discussed in the CDC report (the CDC does good work on this sort of thing, in general) but who knows what they mean from the article.
Irritating--the poor standards of reporting that don't describe error or much about method or provide a means of getting to the sources.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2003-02-12 03:57 pm (UTC)I think the younger gay men especially, are thinking that HIV/AIDS is just something you take a pill for, you know? Does that make any sense? The flip-side of successful "cocktail" drug treatment.
Keep the faith, hon. Maybe you'll like my mantra as a social worker: If you reach one person a month - even in six months or in a year - you've changed a life. In your case, you've not only changed a life, you've saved a life! Please don't forget that! *hugs*
no subject
Date: 2003-02-23 09:44 pm (UTC)So, belatedly, don't be in too much of a hurry to be depressed. Not saying that complacency is a good thing or doesn't exist, but without a *lot* more information than the article presented, the numbers are pretty meaningless. They're probably meaningfully discussed in the CDC report (the CDC does good work on this sort of thing, in general) but who knows what they mean from the article.
Irritating--the poor standards of reporting that don't describe error or much about method or provide a means of getting to the sources.