A Dec. 5 Reuters news item, "More AIDS Funds Favored," stated that "Americans are unusually well-informed about AIDS and want the government to spend more fighting it, according to a survey released yesterday. The nationwide survey . . . found that people think AIDS is one of the two top major health problems facing the nation."
This might explain why people want more AIDS funds. But as it happens, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control data, AIDS is No. 8 on the list of causes of death and dropping rapidly. No. 1 is heart disease, with 2.3 million deaths. No. 2 is cancer, with 734,000 deaths. AIDS caused fewer than 33,000 deaths last year. Only the American media could think that if the population thinks 33,000 deaths is more than 734,000 deaths, it's "unusually well-informed."
MICHAEL FUMENTO, Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, D.C.
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