WARNING: HIV hype can endanger your health

Condom Con Job


The dramatic decrease in the number of new AIDS cases and deaths since 1995 has worried AIDS service organizations (ASOs) - like the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT). They are concerned that if this trend continues their organizations will suffer as sources of funding dry up. The AIDS industry, growing desperate, has resorted to using false claims of rising HIV infection rates to drum up funding through fear mongering and accusing gay men of failing to practice safe sex. The whole situation is vile. AIDS deaths are down and HIV+ gay men are living longer, thus the HIV prevalence statistics (numbers representing the total number of those living with HIV) are on the rise. That should be celebrated during Pride week. Instead, to justify launching their new $400,000 HIV propaganda campaign "Condom Country" ACT reported these hopeful figures wrongly as indicating infection rates are on the rise.

All the major news media picked up on ACT's bogus spin on the data and blasted us with fearful and homophobic messages in the first days of Pride week. As part of ACT's public awareness campaign, the back-page ad of this year's Official Pride Guide states, "Toronto has the highest new HIV infection rate in North America." Inside, another ACT spot says, "Toronto now has the highest rate of new HIV infections in North America among gay and bisexual men, and other men who have sex with men."

How ACT misrepresents the stats to whip up an "AIDS Infections On The Rise" frenzy.

The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) press release clearly misrepresents the stats to claim that HIV infections are on the rise among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Toronto.

It seems that ACT confused incidence data (the number of newly infected people each year) with prevalence data (numbers representing the total number of those living with HIV). See table 1 below where it shows that HIV incidence remains exactly the same from 1999 to 2000. Chart 1 (below) entitled "Modeled number of HIV-infected MSM Toronto, 1977-2000" that charts prevalence is described thus:

"The number of HIV-infected MSM in Toronto between 1977 and 2000 can be viewed in three phases. The first phase is the period from 1977 to 1987, when the infection rate was rapid, with high incidence but low mortality. The second period (1988 to 1995) saw the incidence level off with education and prevention strategies, and increasing mortality [NOTE: they are really talking about prevalence here]. The third phase (1996 to 2000) saw prevalence increase streadily [sic] due to a number of factors: mortality decreased with the introduction of new therapies (more people are living longer with HIV) and more are becoming infected."

From this ACT wrongly concludes:

"The modeled data reflects a steady increase in the incidence of HIV infections since the mid-nineties. Last year, the incidence of HIV infections was 7 per cent higher than 1999 and 34 per cent higher than 1996 (see Table 1 and Chart 1)"

All the talk about percentages that follows has nothing to do with real increases in HIV infection rates among MSM in Toronto.

By their own evidence, ACT shows that there is NO INCREASE in new infections. This is clear in table 1 of their press release where HIV incidence (number & proportion) are the same in 1999 and 2000.

40 staff work at the AIDS Committee of Toronto and no one there can handle basic statistics?? It boggles the mind.

Now we know it is not necessary to be cunning and cook the books to whip up an AIDS Infections On The Rise frenzy. Just be dumb about statistics and the media will still swallow the whole thing.

TABLE AND CHART FROM ACT PRESS RELEASE:



Notes:
  • Cumulative HIV incidence is the total number of infections since the epidemic began
  • Cumulative mortality is the number of AIDS deaths since the epidemic began
  • Prevalence is the number of persons living with HIV
  • Diagnosed is the number of persons living with HIV who have been diagnosed
  • Proportion diagnosed is the percentage of persons living with HIV who have tested positive for the virus
  • HIV incidence (number) is the total number of new infections this year
  • HIV incidence (proportion) is the percentage of the MSM community in Toronto diagnosed HIV-positive that year


For the full document see An Action Plan

How the major news media swallowed the whole thing

EYE Magazine challenges ACT's claims
EYE Magazine challenges ACT's claim that "Toronto has the highest new HIV infection rate in North America." In an article by Vern Smith, University of Toronto HIV researcher Dr. Robert Remis says, "It's hard to know. We're basing it on a certain amount of estimation. You're sort of guessing, really." "We said prevalence was 22 per cent higher from '96 to '99," says Remis. "In other words, the overall number infected. This is different -- this is not incidence, this is prevalence."

Healthy skepticism
Fab Magazine - July 5 2001
Condom Country campaign rides a wave of controversy. If advertising campaigns are judged by the amount of attention and discussion they generate then the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) has a winner on its hands.

ACT calls for media censorship of AIDS debate
The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) placed an advertisement in fab magazine urging people to "Write to the editors of newspapers when they put our community at risk by giving fringe groups a platform to promote dangerous, unfounded theories." Members of the HEAL collective are of the opinion that it represents a callous disregard for the values of free speech and the freedom of the press.

The Globe bungles their World AIDS Day hype
In a clumsy mix-up of Health Canada's figures, a November 30th article in The Globe and Mail wrongly reported a recent increase in AIDS amongst gay men. The Globe then cast the blame on gay men for allegedly "returning to the risky sexual behavior that marked the first devastating years of the epidemic."

 



To contact us:
ACTUPTO@mailcity.com