Viewers have been complaining – are you sitting down? – that it has been too pro-Israel.
SARS AND HIV: Fascinating new nugget. In one major Chinese hospital, AIDS patients were separated from SARS patients. But doctors and nurses, some of whom contracted SARS, freely went from one ward to another. The AIDS patients didn’t even wear masks. But not a single person with AIDS got infected with SARS. How could that be – especially since people with AIDS have suppressed immune systems? Here’s one theory, presented by Laurie Garrett:
Some scientists speculate the virus doesn’t actually kill human cells – that the immune system’s overreaction actually precipitates destruction of cells of the lung and other parts of the body, precipitating the acute pneumonia that is the disease’s hallmark. In theory, they say, death may be the result of an aberrant or overly sensitive immune response. If that is proved correct, it’s possible HIV patients may actually be at lower risk for SARS precisely because they lack strong immune responses.
Just when you thought you couldn’t be surprised, you are. I’ll try and keep track of whether this story pans out. Let me know if you see anything.
The Dish 