Subject:
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Re: Why is AIDS such a big deal?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Mon, 1 May 2000 17:23:47 GMT
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Viewed:
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245 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Christopher L. Weeks writes:
> Hi all,
>
> Why is AIDS such a big deal?
>
> There are plenty of seemingly more important health risks. Why does AIDS get
> so much attention?
I think the reason it gets more attention is because it affects more people
(just my impression) all over the world than cancer, especially in Africa.
> According to http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvs47_19.pdf, human immunodeficiency
> virus infection killed .007 of the people who died in 1997 in the US.
> Malignant neoplasms etc. account for .233 of the deaths. And heart diseases
> get .314.
These are just the US stats. I seriously doubt these stats hold true for other
countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. If you notice the stats on the
right side of the article, a quarter of the residents in some African countries
suffer from AIDS and HIV! Numbers like this is what can destabilize countries,
hence the threat to Global Security, and by proxy, a threat to ours.
> According to http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/who/usa.htm "almost 80% of smokers
> begin to smoke regularly at 16 years and below." This seems like a social
> concern. Remember when I pointed out that only seven tenths of one percent of
> death are AIDS related? Well "it is estimated that in 1995, around 529,000
> deaths were attributable to smoking (24% of total mortality)."
The tobacco industry has many, many politicians in its pocket (especially
conservatives), so actions against them are unlikely. I'd certainly support
any action to ban or restrict cigarettes.
> Any light or opinions? Is AIDS getting more than a fair share of the
> attention? Is Clinton off his rocker to declare it a threat to national
> security?
I don't believe AIDS is getting more than its fair share of the attention, nor
do I think Clinton is off his rocker. If declaring it a threat to National and
Global security is the only way to increase funding and help the millions
suffering in Africa, then I'm all for it.
Jeff
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Why is AIDS such a big deal?
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| Hi all, The feature story at cnn.com right now is that the "AIDS pandemic [has been] declared [a] threat to U.S. national security." I've wondered about the cultural significance of AIDS and the related syndromes for about a decade, but haven't come (...) (25 years ago, 30-Apr-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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