Dirty needles ‘spread Africa Aids’ blares the headline. I hope this isn’t the public health version of ‘Cold Fusion.’ If true, it would make the epidemic far more soluble in my judgement, rather than complex cultural tendencies and grinding poverty, the problem could be rectified by targeting public health budgets. But I am skeptical, unfortunately.
1) How did Uganda control its epidemic with condoms and education if needles are spreading the disease?
2) Why are prosperous regions like Botswana, South Africa and until recently Zimbabwe (once prosperous before the blossoming of kleptocracy) the new heart of the epidemic (you can’t be telling me that chaotic western Africa has better public health services!).
3) Why does circumcision seem to prevent the spread of AIDS? (this is a contested claim, but I am pretty convinced by the fact that uncircumcised Zulus have far higher rates that circumcised Xhosas in South Africa).
Granted, the new research does not claim all the spread is due to needles, but 60% is non-trivial. I’m all for overturning conventional wisdom, but one study does not a paradigm shift make….
Comments are closed.