AIDS - It's time to stop denying the truth!

In most of Europe and indeed across the world, refuting the established facts of the Holocaust can land you in jail. Why then is denying AIDS not so harshly punished? I draw comparison with David Irving, the "historian" whose denial of the holocaust earned him a spell in an Austrian prison before he was recently let out on probation. Given the hard and fast established facts of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, why are the AIDS denialist not afforded such?

Across the world there seems to be a growing band of AIDS denial activists spinning their flawed logic to anyone who will listen and gullible enough to consume their words, often with shocking consequences.

Just as Irving and others have ignored documented facts to spin their flawed logic, so a handful of mercenary scientists have ignored the truth to side with the denialists.

One story that actually shocked me is that of Christine Maggiore the founder of Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives. Christine died in December last year after a long battle with HIV/AIDS. Even after she had passed away her followers did everything to refute the official findings of the coroner as to the actual cause of her death (disseminated herpes virus infection and bilateral pneumonia, with oral candidiasis as a contributing cause; all three are related to HIV infection) Although it should be noted that No official autopsy was (allowed to be?) performed.

Even more disturbing in the case of Christine Maggiore is the death of her 3 year old daughter in 2005 from untreated AIDS.

Where am I going with this? Well I guess this case highlights all the flawed "science" of the denialists and their self-serving diatribe. As sad as this case is, especially given the death of an innocent child who had no say in her treatment.

How can it be that science that is not founded in any of the established and accepted medical facts be used to such devastating effect? How can governments be seduced into accepting a "truth" that flies in the face of every other HIV/AIDS professional on the planet?

The truth is this: HIV & AIDS are a very real issue in the World and only by education will we finally be able to fight this pandemic on a level playing field.

In the eighties the UK government ran a national campaign entitled "Don't die of ignorance" It is just a shame that countless thousands are dying every year due to the ignorance of others!

HIV & AIDS are real - the ties that bind the two together are undeniable and those that deny the truth are not only ignorant but indefensible!

Further reading

Did you hear the one about the "scientists" that claim HIV does not lead to AIDS?

As crazy as that sounds there are people out there that truly believe that HIV does not cause AIDS!

HIV causes AIDS. This is an established medical fact, based on more than a quarter of a century of science. Unbelievably, AIDS denialists claims that HIV is actually harmless, and that the antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV actually cause AIDS.

They believe that the pharmaceutical industry has somehow conspired with doctors and scientists, to invent a disease as a means of selling the pharmaceutical companies harmful drugs. Such claims may sound like absolute insanity to most of us. But the sad truth is that AIDS denialism has emerged as a genuine threat to global public health policy including in the USA and, particularly, in South Africa.

I first became aware of AIDS denialism after reading the blog of Dr Andrew Goldacre. He is the author of a book called "Bad Science" I am yet to read the book but he has just released a "missing" chapter that due to a legal dispute could not be included in the original print of the book.

The additional chapter, "The doctor will sue you now" primarily discusses the influence Matthias Rath had on the public health policy of South African President Thabo Mbeki's regarding HIV/AIDS.

Rath claims that illness can be treated successfully by course of nutritional supplements he calls "Cellular medicine".

Anyways, take a look at the links and make up your own minds!

I am HIV+, when diagnosed I had a low CD4 and a mid range Viral Load. I did take some time to think over the side effects of taking HAART and as well as its benefits. I am lucky, I live in a society that has a great healthcare system. A system that runs based on established scientific fact. A system that allows you to make a informed choice based on fact and expertise. The people of South Africa are not afforded such luxury and therefore it those of us much more fortunate to ensure that "quackery" is not passed as medical fact and subsequently put the lives of many thousands in danger.

AIDS Denialism causes untold death and suffering through ignorance. This has to stop if we are to be in with a chance of making a unified and informed stand against HIV & AIDS.

Thanks for stopping by (",)