Never Read Just the Headline

From NewsOxy.com:

Headline:

Children Food Allergies Soar to 18 Percent

First line of article:

Children food allergies are up 18 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The two numbers say totally different things, and the headline is so wrong that it makes for a perfect example.

What are children's food allergies up to? The article states that:

The CDC estimates that four out of every 100 children suffer from food allergies.

Four out of every 100. That's 4%. Not 18%, not even a quarter of 18%.

If there has been an 18% rise, that means food allergies went from 3.4% to 4.0%. That may be a serious rise, but it still reflects a condition limited to a small percentage of the population.

It's bugs the hell out of me that reporters and editors can't understand enough elementary school math to know when numbers are wrong. And when their ignorance frightens people I call them out on it.

Shame on you all.