Discussion

• 1. An article in Monday's NY Times states quotes Dr. Jonathan Zenilman, an associate professor of infectious diseases at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, on the accuracy of HIV tests. Dr. Zenilman says that the HIV test is "accurate more than 99 percent of the time. You might get a false negative if you were infected within three weeks of taking the test, but a false positive is very, very rare. " What does he mean by false negative and false positive? What does he mean that the HIV test is accurate more than 99 percent of the time?
  
  
• 2. Tuesday's NY Times article also quotes a statistic of 99%: "the accuracy rate on a positive HIV result in greater than 99%". Is this the same 99% that Dr. Zenilman is talking about, or does it mean something different?
  
  
• 3. All Things Considered quotes Dr. Michael Melman as estimating the chances of transmitting HIV through boxing as 10 in one billion. How did he come up with a number like this?
  
  
• 4. Noah Adams, the reporter on All Things Considered, asks "Why bother with HIV testing when you have this overarching issue for many people in boxing?". How do you think the chances of dying from a head-blow in a boxing fight compare to the chances of contracting HIV in a boxing fight? How would you answer his question?
  
  
• 5. Do you think there should be mandatory pre-fight HIV testing?
  

Journal Assignment