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.
It’s a misplaced and damaging metaphor because it in no way represents reality. There are lots of other pathogens that cause immune exhaustion and susceptibility to infection in the way that COVID does. HIV is not one of them. We might as well say COVID is airborne cancer. In fact, that comparison is remarkably more accurate than AIDS.
I also usually forget to talk to people like human beings online and come across as aggressive and assholish. I don’t mean to and I don’t mean to imply that any of the stuff I’m going off about is your doing, I’m just trying to vent off excess pressure.
Fair enough. But comrade you are getting worked up over a comparison that has been getting made in popular culture since 2020 and research papers at least since 2022 (probably earlier I just know at least one specific one from 2022 regarding lymphocytopenia.) and yeah we could probably also call it airborne heart attacks or airborne strokes. But people have latched on to the immune dysfunction and people know AIDs so there we are. It’s a metaphor they understand, that gets the point across about how dangerous it is to ignore.
Edit: and it’s still only year 6.
Yeah there’s a reason I deleted all my social media like ten years ago, I get worked up about a lot of things.
I’m struggling to say it succinctly, but all other respiratory viruses can produce these same weird systemic effects sometimes. The focus on COVID should revolve around reducing the spread of all of those viruses as well, and pointing at HIV/AIDS takes people further away from understanding that because it is such a unique and socially loaded disease.
I get ya, and it’d be great if that’s the argument we can be making, but I’m afraid covid is being compared to other respiratory viruses… by the minimizers. We don’t get to pick the battlefield unfortunately. Also, I’d note that given the history of HIV and the establishment’s marginalization of its victims for so long, the parallels do make a compelling case for the phrase airborne aids. Again, we’re only like 6 years in and most of the “in your face” arguments making traction in corporate media are on the immediate sequelae. Who knows what a single infection does ten / fifteen years down the line, let alone the mass majority of folks on their way towards racking up double digit infections.
i have this print on my wall, it really hits and the parallels are definitely there.
I couldn’t disagree more but I understand that you’re not the arbiter of this.
We’ll leave it there then. Take care and be safe.