giovedì 14 gennaio 2010

The World Health Organization

If the following statement from an article on Bloomberg is correct, I have little confidence in any estimates coming from the WHO:

About 33.4 million people were infected with the AIDS- causing virus worldwide as of the end of 2008, according to the WHO, making it the world’s most prevalent infectious disease.

How can they state 33.4 million?  If they said about 30 million, or tens of  millions, I could accept it, but there are so many reasons for it NOT being about 33.4 million that it reflects upon the integrity of anyone giving such a precise number.

A similar situation occurred after the Pacific tsunami which eventually killed over 200, 000 people.  The initial numbers were invariably precise:  2,581, then 31,528.  All ridiculous to anyone on the spot or who had seen images of the devastation.

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