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“HIV does not cause
AIDS” and why we should
care about AIDS Denialism
Denial means
many things
Denial…
refusal to
recognize or
acknowledge a
problem
Denial…
assertion that
something
said, believed,
alleged, etc.,
is false:
Denial…
defense mechanism
to reduce anxiety by
blocking intolerable
thoughts and
feelings
Mass Denial – social
response to widespread
trauma…war, genocide,
disaster, plague
Denialism
Refusal to accept an
empirically verifiable
reality… propagates
denial based on false
pretenses and
misinformation
“Our view is really simple…
HIV does not cause AIDS and HIV/AIDS may not
exist at all.
The burden of proof should rest on the mainstream
which is why the most important thing dissidents
should be doing is merely asking questions.
It doesn't take long to realize that the mainstream
can't answer our questions which proves their
theories are full of holes.”
Source Maggiore, AIDS Myth Exposed, October 19, 2009
What are the AIDS
Denialists saying?
….in their own words
Denialists
undermine HIV
Treatment
Denialists sell
“non-toxic”
AIDS cures
Gary Null, Vitamin Entrepreneur
and AIDS denialist
“Zinc is necessary for
preventing and fighting diseases
ranging from the common cold
to AIDS.”
Denialists propagate
pseudoscience
Dr. Matthias Rath
Vitamin Entrepreneur
and AIDS denialist
Denialists try to
influence public
opinion
Earth Day Exhibit, Orlando, 2009
Denialists
campaign against
AIDS Charities
Are AIDS denialists really harming
anyone?
AIDS Denialist Clark Baker with Karri Stokely, 2008
Kelly Landis
Died December 2007
“a SAME-SEX=SIN=SICKNESS
mindset (has) lead to the
unquestioned acceptance of the
HIV=AIDS=DEATH paradigm”
Jerry Collinard
Died July 2009
Board member of
San Diego HEAL. In
2001 he referred to
himself as an ‘AIDS
dissident’
Michael Bellefountaine
Died May 2007
David Pasquarelli
Died March 2004
Lambros Papantoniou
Died May 2009
“Lambros attracted the
attention of Andrew
Maniotis, a scientist
and AIDS denialist.
Instead of his
prescribed medicine,
he was convinced to
consume Maniotispromoted vitamins.”
Christine Maggiore
Died December 2008
Eliza Jane Scovill
Died May 2005
Denying the Death of Christine Maggiore
“It's horrible! Maggiore should
never have watched it.
Seeing this made the stress
factor a much more stronger
contributor to Maggiore's
death. I used to think that a
psychological stress factor
wasn't really necessary to
explain her recent death but
now it appears inevitable to
me that it played a significant
role.”
Sadun Kal http://forums.aidsmythexposed.com
Official AIDS Denialism Report on
the Death of Christine Maggiore
Performed by Mohammed Ali Al-Bayati, PhD, DABT, DABVT
“Christine suffered fatal renal failure caused by
antibiotics, antiviral, and calcium received
during the 9 days prior to her death.”
“Christine did not suffer from any AIDS indicator
illness during the 2 years prior to her death and at
the time of her death.”
Posted December 9, 2009,
www.rethinkingaids.com
350,000 South Africans
died and 35,000 infants
infected as a result of
failure to roll out HIV
treatments between
2000 and 2005
Chigwedere et al., 2008, JAIDS
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki and
Christine Maggiore, 2000
Reliability of AIDS Denialism’s
Impact in South Africa
Nattrass, 2009, AIDS and Behavior
Why
Why
would
would
anyone
anyone
NOT
listen
listen
to to
AIDS
AIDS denialists?
denialists?
“Rex always said Christine was
his heroine; she called him in
the hospital urging him to stay
the dissident course and not
take the drugs…Now reality was
staring us in the face and he
was willing to look at it... I didn’t
want to look; I wanted to pretend
Christine was right, and HIV
doesn’t cause AIDS. I wanted to
pretend Rex would live.
"Speaking in Tongues": An Essay on AIDS Denial by John Boucher
Model of AIDS Denialism Vulnerability
HIV-Related
Trauma
(unacceptable risk
HIV+ test result
treatment failure
network deaths)
Initial Coping
Response
(Denial)
Adequate Coping
Resources
Effective Coping
(engagement in care
Informed decision making)
Psychological
vulnerability
Malignant Denial
Exposure to
Denialism
(encapsulated delusion
prolonged escape
disengagement
misinformed decisions)
Social Context
AIDS Stigma, Internet,
Medical Mistrust
Science Illiteracy
Studies of AIDS Denialism
Vulnerability
Wald et al., 2009
149 African-American primary care HIV clinic
patients
17% endorse the belief, “HIV does not cause
AIDS.”
Belief that HIV has not been proven to cause
AIDS was associated with refusing ARV
treatment, t = 2.57, p < .01
Kalichman et al., 2009
255 Men & 77 Women living with
HIV in Atlanta
92% African-Amerian
Does holding AIDS denialist beliefs relate to
demographic and health status?
Do not believe there
is a debate among
scientists regarding
HIV causing AIDS
(n=220, 64%)
Believe there is a
debate among
scientists regarding
HIV causing AIDS
(n=123, 36%)
Health status and believing there is a Debate on
HIV causing AIDS
Does not believe
there is a debate
(n=220)
Mean
Does believe there
is a debate
(n=123)
Mean
HIV symptoms
T-Cells
3.7
473
4.5 *
455
Medication adherence
91%
84% *
Currently taking HIV
medications
69%
56% *
Undetectable viral load
65 %
54% *
Note: * p < .05
Reasons why participants are not taking HIV
treatments
Doctor suggested waiting
Taking break from treatment
Does not
believe there is
a debate
(n = 81)
49
25
Medication side effects
Cannot afford medications
Refuses to take medications
Does not trust medication
10
18
23
16
Note: among 150 participants not on treatment; * p < .05
Does believe
there is a
debate
(n = 59)
48
27
15
15
33
28
*
*
Is Internet use
related to AIDS
Denial beliefs?
Demographic and health characteristics of less and
more frequent Internet users
Age
Years of education
< Weekly Weekly +
internet internet
use
use
(n=206)
(n=137)
45
43
12
13 *
AIDS knowledge test score (% correct)
Years living with HIV diagnosis
T-cell count
Undetectable viral load
67
13
421
65%
80 *
13
528 *
64%
Gay/bisexual men
49%
71% *
Note: * p < .05
AIDS Denialist Beliefs among less and more
frequent Internet users
< Weekly Weekly +
internet internet
use
use
There is a debate among scientists about
whether HIV causes AIDS
32%
42% *
There is no proof that HIV causes AIDS
26% *
20%
HIV treatments do more harm than good 22%
25%
Herbal and natural remedies can cure
AIDS in some people
34% *
Note: * p < .05
30%
Does interest in
AIDS Denialist
websites relate to
AIDS denialist
beliefs?
Participants read 3 Internet
passages; 1 Control + 2 AIDS
Denialist.
Indicated whether they
planned to search for more
information from the source.
Rated the passages for
believability and
trustworthiness (0-to-10 scale)
Tufts School of Medicine
“Choose Snacks that work
for you”
Rath International:
“Micronutrients Help
Control AIDS”
Jonathan Campbell, Health Consultant
Natural Therapies for Chronic Illness &
Health Maintenance
Jonathan Campbell;
“A Cure for AIDS?”
“immune enhancing
nutrients, vitamin C
Does not Does
plan to
plan to
search
search
Believes information
Trusts information
7.4
7.1
9.1 *
9.0 *
Denialism beliefs score
2.0
2.1
Does not Does
plan to
plan to
search
search
Believes information
6.1
7.9 *
Trusts information
5.9
7.9 *
Denialism beliefs score
1.9
2.2 *
Jonathan Campbell, Health Consultant
Natural Therapies for Chronic Illness & Health Maintenance
Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.
Hippocrates, Father of Medicine, 400 B.C.
Believes information
Trusts information
Denialism beliefs score
Does not Does
plan to
plan to
search
search
5.8
7.8 *
5.3
1.9
7.3 *
2.2 *
Model of AIDS Denialism Vulnerability
HIV-Related
Trauma
(unacceptable risk
HIV+ test result
treatment failure
network deaths)
Initial Coping
Response
(Denial)
Adequate Coping
Resources
Effective Coping
(engagement in care
Informed decision making)
Psychological
vulnerability
Malignant Denial
Exposure to
Denialism
(encapsulated delusion
prolonged escape
disengagement
misinformed decisions)
Social Context
AIDS Stigma, Internet,
Medical Mistrust
Science Illiteracy
Points of Intervention
Highly
Resourced
Support &
Follow-up
HIV-Related
Trauma
Initial Coping
Response
Coping
Effectiveness
Training
Psychological
vulnerability
Effective Coping
Exposure to
Denialism
Public Health
Education
Academic
Accountability
Social Context
AIDS Stigma, Internet,
Medical Mistrust
Science Illiteracy
Critical
Thinking
Skills
Builiding
Conclusions
AIDS denialist beliefs are
prevalent among people living
with HIV/AIDS
The Internet plays a critical
role in disseminating AIDS
denialism
Interventions are needed to
address denialist beliefs and
maladaptive coping
Denying AIDS
All royalties buy HIV
treatments in Africa
Denying AIDS
Conspiracy Theories,
Pseudoscience, and
Human Tragedy
For more on AIDS Denial
http://denyingaids.blogspot.com
www.AIDSTruth.org