f:\doc\web\98\05\mythai.txt
Yeah yeah, sure sure. Thanks for noticing, but I'm still right. 


It
doesn't matter that some states don't count Asians, they're
just as nonexistent in places like Hawaii and San Francisco where
Asians are half the population. They're just as nonexistent in 
gay STD clinics. Nonexistent is a relative term of course, but the
ugly truth is that Asians simply don't do what it takes to get AIDS
in anywhere near the numbers that other groups do, and that
should be encouraged. The conspiracy is in hiding the fact that
Asians are so low, and that emulating this life style could also
lower rates for other groups. Please pass the word around so that
others can take a look at my position, to my knowledge, I have
the ONLY site on the planet that notes the curiously low rate of
AIDS among Asians by almost every statistic.


Arthur Hu


> From:          "Michael de Groot" <m-degroot@nwu.edu>
> To:            <arthurhu@halcyon.com>
> Subject:       Asians and AIDS
> Date:          Thu, 7 May 1998 02:40:24 -0500


> Dear Arthur,
> 
> I am very disturbed by the "information" that you provide about the spread
> of HIV among the Asian and Pacific Islander communities.  I am a HIV
> epidemiologist, and prior to my public health training, I worked in HIV/AIDS
> education/outreach for over 6 years.  I am currently in medical school.
> 
> While the number of cases cited among Caucasians versus APIs is much greater
> for Caucasians, you fail to take into account several variables.  First,
> according to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of nationally
> reported AIDS cases among Asians increased more than 150% between 1989 and
> 1991, the highest rate of increase among any racial or ethnic group.
> Moreover, the CDC further stipulates that their data may be conservative,
> because many Asian immigrants return to their country of birth upon becoming
> AIDS diagnosed.
> 
> Furthermore, according to the CDC, the only reliable data available to cite
> for prevalence are numbers of AIDS cases.  The number of HIV cases are an
> unstable figure because of reporting problems and because for every one
> reported case of HIV, the CDC estimates that there are over 20 unreported.
> The problem, however, with using AIDS data is that it is over 10 years old
> or older, thanks to new treatment strategies.
> 
> You should also be aware that there are many barriers preventing APIs
> infected with HIV from getting help.  For example, shame is a very powerful
> motivator.  It has been our experience, in working with API clients, that
> many HIV+ individuals become isolated from their families because of the
> shame their serostatus brings upon the family.  Similarly, homosexuality is
> also considered to be "shameful" within the API communities, therefore
> individuals from this high HIV prevalence group may not seek testing because
> their homosexuality would be confirmed, should they test positive.
> 
> It is also a prevalent attitude for individuals to engage in MSM (men having
> sex with men) behavior, yet classifying themselves as being heterosexual.
> It is believed that part of this has to do with the stigma associated with
> homosexuality.
> 
> Finally, it should be noted that the API community, until recently, has not
> received the necessary attention that it deserves.  Much of the immigrant
> API community does not utilize the health care system as much as other
> ethnicities, i.e. Caucasians as you love to compare them to, and therefore
> leads to reporting bias.  In addition, many states, like Illinois, do not
> collect data on Asian and Pacific Islanders, their numbers are grouped in
> the category Non-black, Non-Hispanic.  Furthermore, many Asians are
> misclassified because their surname is used as a proxy for ethnicity,
> instead of looking at a persons ethnicity.
> 
> The amount of education and outreach that the White, Hispanic and Black
> communities received in the 1980s is just now being received by the API
> communities in the 1990s.  It is a MYTH that HIV is not prevalent within the
> community.  It is a MYTH that APIs are immune from contracting this deadly
> disease.  Once people become properly informed, it will become apparent that
> HIV is a growing problem within the API community.
> 
> I ask you to further research this information for yourself and do not
> continue to spread your misinformation about HIV within the API community.
> You are only serving to hamper community based efforts to help the API
> community recognize reality.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Michael C. de Groot, MPH
> Vice-president Asian American AIDS Services
> 
>