Contents
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Main Article Responding to Malan
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Appendix One: Some Surveys of HIV Seroprevalence SADC
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Appendix Two: List of Technical Errors in Malan's Articles in Noseweek and The Spectator
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References
Rian Malan's articles in Noseweek and The Spectator, arguing that AIDS statistics are grossly exaggerated, have numerous technical errors. One which appears in Noseweek and upon which most of his case with regard to the South African epidemic rests is so serious and obvious that it raises questions about Malan's basic competence as a research journalist - or more disturbingly -- about his motives and integrity.
In the December issue of Noseweek, Rian Malan and the magazine's editor, Martin Welz, assert that the AIDS epidemic in South Africa is greatly exaggerated and that too much money is being spent on it. 'Glad Tidings' extols the editorial headline, 'Good news! Hurrah! Much less illness in the pipeline!' exclaims Welz, celebrating Malan's`findings'. Well actually, keep the cork on the champagne. Malan's `research', which contains hardly any verifiable references, is shoddy journalism. It is littered with serious errors, one of them highly misleading, as well as obvious upon reading the source he quotes. Certainly Malan is an entertaining read. But unattributed quotes, unnamed science journals, unnamed experts, misrepresentations, leaving out critical evidence and a plethora of incorrect facts have no place in a thesis that purports to be debunking the current orthodox scientific view.
Unfortunately, there is overwhelming evidence that mortality due to HIV in South Africa is immense; it is probably the largest single cause of premature death in South Africa. Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Tanzania, -- some of the countries referred to in another article by Malan published in the 13-20 December edition of The Spectator -- are also experiencing very large HIV epidemics. The number of AIDS cases in South Africa is demonstrably growing but the situation is not hopeless: we can alleviate the epidemic by substantially increasing prevention and treatment efforts as government has recently committed to doing. This is not a message of doom as Malan and Welz would have their readers believe; it is a warning coupled with a practical plan of action - treat and prevent.
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