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[edit] AIDS denialists claims opposing the scientific consensus
- See also: Duesberg hypothesis
Although members of the AIDS denialist community are united by their disagreement with the concept that HIV is the cause of AIDS, the specific positions taken by various groups differ.
Denialist arguments have centered around claims that HIV does not exist or has not been adequately isolated,[1] that the virus does not fulfill Koch's postulates,[2] that HIV testing is inaccurate,[3] or that antibodies to HIV neutralize the virus and render it harmless.[4] Suggested alternative causes of AIDS include recreational drugs, malnutrition and the very antiretroviral drugs used to treat the syndrome.[5] Denialists claim that these drugs are exceptionally toxic and cause the very symptoms they are supposed to delay.[6] To support this claim, they cite two studies from the late 1980s whose authors said they found it difficult to distinguish adverse events possibly associated with administration of Retrovir (AZT) from underlying signs of HIV disease or intercurrent illnesses.[7]
Such claims have been examined extensively in the peer-reviewed medical and scientific literature; a scientific consensus has arisen that denialist claims have been convincingly disproved, and that HIV does indeed cause AIDS.[8][9][10] In the cases cited by Duesberg where HIV "cannot be isolated", PCR or other techniques demonstrate the presence of the virus,[11] and many denialist claims of HIV test inaccuracy result from an incorrect or outdated understanding of how HIV antibody testing is performed and interpreted.[12][13] Further, the accumulating evidence of the significant benefits of anti-retroviral therapy is seen as further confirmation of HIV's role in AIDS.[14] This evidence has been a major factor in convincing some denialist scientists to accept the causative role of HIV in AIDS.[15]
[edit] References
- ^ Turner V. (1999) E-Mail Correspondence Between Val Turner and Robin Weiss
- ^ Duesberg P (1989). "Human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: correlation but not causation". Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 86 (3): 755-64. doi: . PMID 2644642.
- ^ Papadopulos-Eleopulos E, Turner V, Papadimitriou J (1993). "Is a positive western blot proof of HIV infection?". Biotechnology (N Y) 11 (6): 696-707. doi: . PMID 7763673.
- ^ HealToronto.com, dissident website, claiming to provide 10 reasons why HIV cannot cause AIDS. Accessed 28 September 2006.
- ^ Duesberg P, Koehnlein C, Rasnick D (2003). "The chemical bases of the various AIDS epidemics: recreational drugs, anti-viral chemotherapy and malnutrition". J Biosci 28 (4): 383-412. doi: . PMID 12799487.
- ^ Articles on AZT hosted by Peter Duesberg
- ^ Virusmyth.net: HIV & AIDS - AZT, Zidovudine, Retrovir - Product Information
- ^ NIAID Fact Sheet: The Evidence that HIV Causes AIDS. Accessed via National Institutes of Health website on 24 Oct 2006.
- ^ Fact Sheets on HIV/AIDS, from the Centers for Disease Control. Accessed 26 Feb 2007.
- ^ World Health Organization HIV and AIDS Programme, from the World Health Organization website. Accessed 26 Feb 2007.
- ^ O'Brien SJ, Goedert JJ. (1996). "HIV causes AIDS: Koch's postulates fulfilled.". Curr Opin Immunol. 8: 613-618. PMID 8902385.
- ^ HIV Science and Responsible Journalism
- ^ How Immunoassays Work: The Curious Case of AIDS Denialist Roberto Giraldo and his Ignorance of the Basics
- ^ Major studies confirming the benefits and effectiveness of modern anti-HIV therapy include, but are not limited to:
- Lima V, Hogg R, Harrigan P, Moore D, Yip B, Wood E, Montaner J (2007). "Continued improvement in survival among HIV-infected individuals with newer forms of highly active antiretroviral therapy". AIDS 21 (6): 685-92. doi: . PMID 17413689.
- Jordan R, Gold L, Cummins C, Hyde C (2002). "Systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence for increasing numbers of drugs in antiretroviral combination therapy". BMJ 324 (7340): 757. doi: . PMID 11923157. — full text
- Ivers L, Kendrick D, Doucette K (2005). "Efficacy of antiretroviral therapy programs in resource-poor settings: a meta-analysis of the published literature". Clin Infect Dis 41 (2): 217-24. doi: . PMID 15983918.
- Mocroft A, Ledergerber B, Katlama C, Kirk O, Reiss P, d'Arminio Monforte A, Knysz B, Dietrich M, Phillips A, Lundgren J (2003). "Decline in the AIDS and death rates in the EuroSIDA study: an observational study.". Lancet 362 (9377): 22-9. doi: . PMID 12853195.
- Sterne J, Hernán M, Ledergerber B, Tilling K, Weber R, Sendi P, Rickenbach M, Robins J, Egger M. "Long-term effectiveness of potent antiretroviral therapy in preventing AIDS and death: a prospective cohort study.". Lancet 366 (9483): 378-84. PMID 16054937.
- ^ Schüklenk U (February 2004). "Professional responsibilities of biomedical scientists in public discourse". J Med Ethics 30 (1): 53–60; discussion 61–2. PMID 14872076.