Data show a significant uptick in lymphatic tuberculosis in 10-18 year olds in the last 4 years, with 2025 being by far the worst. This is usually a disease associated with AIDS, but there’s been no associated uptick in HIV.
Data show a significant uptick in lymphatic tuberculosis in 10-18 year olds in the last 4 years, with 2025 being by far the worst. This is usually a disease associated with AIDS, but there’s been no associated uptick in HIV.
Thank you! Very disturbing to see people treat the “airborne AIDS” thing as disrespectful to people dealing with HIV/AIDS, as if they are not also threatened by COVID.
As a person with science training, this comparison is very irresponsible. Two things can both be bad but not be like each other at all. When bad information spreads on social media, it only serves to undermine the work of the researchers.
If we don’t communicate the findings of researchers, isn’t that also undermining it?
Can you provide a more succinct way of explaining that COVID uses the same catastrophic immune evasion and persistence mechanisms and poses a severe risk in the long-term?
To be very picky, I can understand why some people would take an issue with the phrase airborne AIDS. First of all, it would be better to say airborne HIV and there is the implication that AIDS itself is more contagious, but nobody actually believes that in 2025. People understand that HIV is a blood-borne disease, saying that a blood-borne disease is airborne, creates such a terrifying scenario. I don’t think that people are expecting that they’re going to catch AIDS from a sneeze because people are saying that COVID is dangerous. I think this is just being way too fastidious with language.
Imagine someone saying trying to explain Star Wars by saying that Luke Skywalker is like an alien version of Goku. If you have any knowledge at all of the characters or the stories your mind starts compiling a rapidly growing list of why that’s complete nonsense. If you have extremely limited background on the characters though, and what supplemental information you are given is a fundamental mischaracterization of the stories, you would be easily convinced. They’re both dudes in fantasy stories, they both fight, they both have some kind of telekinesis, but the difference is one is from Earth while the other is from a galaxy far far away.
It’s almost impossible to point out all the ways that that is wrong. And then when you’re trying someone says “I don’t know, I saw a video where they talked about Luke Skywalker fighting so I think you’re just being pedantic.” If actual truth matters in any way, you would reject this comparison completely. If it’s popular and you don’t know better or don’t give a shit you’ll latch on to it and maybe even add to it. I know better and I give a shit and I’m saying flatly that it’s wrong.
Can you provide a more succinct way of explaining that COVID uses the same catastrophic immune evasion and persistence mechanisms and poses a severe risk in the long-term?
Yeah I’m with you on this one. I get quite annoyed by downright misinfo being spread.
Likening covid to aids has been irritating as well not because of “respect” but because it’s hard to make certain decisions. How do we treat infection risk? I wear a mask with everyone because covid is provably airborne, but if you call it like AIDS and then cross that with the musings about viral persistence of covid in the body possibly being a cause of long covid (which is either basically proven or still highly speculative depending on what source I’m reading) this leads to question. Does this mean I shouldn’t have sex with someone who’s got long covid lest I contract it too? I can’t find a straight answer and the pool of people who haven’t had covid shrinks every year anyway, but I’m still in it
I don’t think anyone has ever tabled an idea like this anywhere, and I don’t feel this hypothetical is a compelling reason to chide people for raising awareness about the COVID-related findings of literal HIV researchers. Nobody will even take you seriously about long covid in the first place. Pick a lane?
i think the state of new york said to glory hole