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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!petrus!karn
From: karn@petrus.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Re: 3 year old herpes patients
Message-ID: <259@petrus.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 16-Jan-85 20:46:31 EST
Article-I.D.: petrus.259
Posted: Wed Jan 16 20:46:31 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 17-Jan-85 13:57:49 EST
References: <740@loral.UUCP> <5251@duke.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Communications Research, Inc
Lines: 30

I watched the ABC Nightline show on this topic last week. While I normally
have a high regard for Ted Koppel (at least in relation to other TV
interviewers) I think he totally botched that show. He had as a guest
a doctor who specialized in the subject of herpes in children. From the
few things which Koppel permitted the guy to say before he was interrupted,
I learned quite a bit. But Koppel and his "concerned parent" guests seemed
unbelievably dense. Quoting from memory:

1. Most children who catch herpes get it from other children.
2. Perhaps 60-70% of the entire population gets herpes by the time they
reach late middle age.  The virus is extremely common in the population.
3. The vast majority of people who get herpes never show any serious
symptoms.
4. Babies are the most likely ones to contract severe symptoms if they
get herpes; older children are much less severely affected.
5. Herpes has always been common in children under a different name: cold
sores.

From this, it became obvious to me that the whole issue was not a Big Ethical
Dilemma at all, but rather a non-issue which simply required some mass
education. But the show failed to rise up to this level, something that
TV ought to be good at.  Other guests included parents of people who had
removed their kids from schools where children had cases of herpes.
"Did you get the advice of a doctor?" "Yes, they told us the same
things we've heard from the doctor here". "And what did you think?" "It
scared us to death! There are so many people out there to get herpes from!"

Incredible. At times I wonder if there's intelligent life on this planet.

Phil