The two articles on HIV/AIDS in the dojo are generally correct and suggest useful steps to prevent infection. Hepatitis, however, poses a greater threat. Its various forms are not as dangerous but more common and more transmissible, so the total risk of death it poses is higher. Hepatitis can live on countertops for days, unlike HIV, and the blood supply is less protected from some forms. Prevention is the same as for HIV, but I thought sparring supervisors who rightly conclude the HIV risk is tiny should know about it so they’re not tempted to ignore warnings.
Ian Jenkins
UVA medical school