It is a real problem. Little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but we ( collectively in US anyway ) decided to:

- make learning and experimenting expensive by making schools expensive - make some things look scary and subject to nosy neighbor intervention resulting in people hiding better

Not exactly a recipe for success. And honestly, at this point, the article's attention grabbing phrasing is likely the least of our problems. Personal pathogen testing, genetic modification.. that is bound to create a lot more hazard along the way.