Surely I can't be the first to be the first to note the similarities of HIV and diabetes as public health crises. Both are (largely in the case of diabetes and wholly in the case of HIV) preventable diseases that affect minority populations in this country disproportionately (blacks and latinos for diabetes, gay men for HIV). Behavior modifications to reduce the likelihood of contracting each disease are straightforward, yet efforts to induce these modifications have been stymied. The end stages of each disease can be horrific, and the incidence of disease among at-risk communities can be shockingly high, yet the perception in these communities is either that the chance of acquiring the disease is too low or that the consequences of that acquisition is also too low to alter risky behavior.

Thanks to AatomBomb, Andrew Sullivan and the Old Gray Lady (the other one, not Sully).