By Megan DePutter, Positive Prevention Coordinator

A recent headline from the Globe & Mail grabbed my attention – “New HIV infections in Canada back to 1982 levels.” The article contained some important information, but I fear that this will be missed due to the strong, visceral reaction that most Globe readers will have with a quick glance at the accompanying photograph.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the photograph, but it will likely evoke strong feelings and snap judgements for many readers, who won’t bother to read or consider the information contained within the full text of the article. They may not read or remember, for example, that "inequity is the real driver of the epidemic."

Furthermore, there was a great deal missing from this article – important information that could help contextualize these findings.For example, while 17% of new infections are among IDU, this number is not new or shocking. In 2002, this numbers was 19%. In 2005, the number fell between 14-16%. In 2008, the number climbed one percentage point to 17%. So there is no reason to put a picture of an injection drug user at the top of this article, as though this is breaking news. One might go so far as to say that they are unnecessarily stigmatizing drug users.

The other important piece that was missing was the importance of harm reduction. The caption of the photo said, “An intravenous drug user gets ready to inject heroin into his arm in Vancouver's downtown Eastside last year.” Nowhere does the article mention the importance of harm reduction. It doesn’t mention, for example, that Insite, the safe injection site in Vancouver, has made a tremendous positive impact in the community, playing an integral role in preventing HIV infections, among countless other benefits. One might ask, where would we be without harm reduction, and what kind of an effect will anti-harm reduction policies will have an HIV infection rates?

But most Canadians will probably not look at the photo and consider the importance of harm reduction, nor will they consider HIV transmission in a holistic way. They will likely disassociate themselves from this man in the picture, quickly concluding, “HIV is not my problem.” And that is simply not the case.

To understand the meaning of statistics, careful attention must be paid. Sociological and epidemiological data always exists within a context – a context of many complex factors. It’s easy to take a quick gander at stats and get the wrong idea. It’s even easier to take a look at a photograph and make a snap judgement.