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"AIDS denialism" refers to a cluster of claims that have been promoted by a loose network of individuals in the United States and other countries that deny the reality of AIDS as well as the role that HIV plays in the weakening of an individual's immune system and consequent development of illnesses that are AIDS defining. The Denialists claim that HIV does not cause AIDS, that the risks of antiretrovirals outweigh their benefits, and there is not a serious HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. A film called House of Numbers recently premiered here in Nashville that promotes this view. The following articles and links contain information about the film and about the myths of AIDS Denialism.
By Richard D'Aquila, M.D., and James Hildreth, M.D., Ph.D. Tennessee Voices, in The Tennessean, April 19, 2009 Copyright 2009 and reproduced by permission of The Tennessean Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first recognized in 1981. It has killed 25 million people around the world so far, and new cases continue to occur. There is no cure or vaccine for this disease, which is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but we have very effective medicines that help turn it into a manageable chronic illness like diabetes. One of the biggest barriers to preventing new HIV infections is ignorance and outright denial of the facts. House of Numbers, which will be shown this week at the Nashville Film Festival, raises these issues. Sadly, the film has gotten its "numbers" wrong and questions whether HIV causes AIDS. This assertion is incorrect and potentially dangerous. Here are the facts that we, as members and supporters of the scientific community, accept as true: • HIV is a natural virus that entered the human population from chimpanzees many years ago. • AIDS follows HIV infection at different times in different people, but it does not occur in the absence of HIV infection. • HIV diagnostic tests are highly accurate and reliable. • HIV eventually will kill in nearly every case, unless the infection is treated. • Anti-HIV medicines dramatically prolong the lives of those who have access to them. • Good nutrition and avoidance of substance abuse are important for general health and well-being and may help anti-HIV medicines work better, but they are not sufficient, by themselves, to prevent or treat HIV infection. Separate from all the objective, incontrovertible scientific evidence, each of us has personal experience that is compelling. People we knew well who were well-nourished, healthy and not using recreational drugs got HIV, got sick and died. After effective medicines were available, people with HIV began to live more normal lives. Seeing patients, clients and colleagues go from actively dying to general good health in a matter of weeks is the most convincing evidence that HIV causes AIDS, and that stopping the virus can prevent or reverse AIDS. The potential danger of "AIDS denialism" is that it may encourage people at risk of HIV infection to refuse to be tested, to ignore a diagnosis of HIV or to reject treatments that could prolong their lives. Denialism is especially cruel to people in resource-poor countries. They are hardest-hit by AIDS and have the least access to treatment. Thanks to collaboration among researchers, physicians, social-service professionals and those they serve, HIV-positive Tennesseans live longer, happier, more productive lives. We need to continue this progress by emphasizing HIV prevention, testing and access to care for those who become infected. For accurate information about AIDS and the dangers of AIDS denial, go to www.aidstruth.org, a site created by HIV/AIDS experts in the United States and South Africa. Dr. Richard D'Aquila directs the Vanderbilt AIDS Center. Dr. James Hildreth directs the Meharry Center for AIDS Health Disparities Research. Also contributing to this column were: David Haas, M.D., Vanderbilt AIDS Clinical Trials Center; Mark Hubbard, Tennessee Association of People With AIDS; Joseph Interrante, Ph.D., Nashville CARES; Spyros Kalams, M.D., Vanderbilt HIV Vaccine Trials Unit; Stephen Raffanti, M.D., Comprehensive Care Center; Sten Vermund, M.D., Ph.D., Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health; and Gregory Wilson, M.D., Vanderbilt Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Copyright 2009 and reproduced by permission of The Tennessean http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090419/OPINION03/904190345/1008/OPINION01 (this link active until around 5/19/09)
Tennessean OpEd by DAquila Hildreth 04 19 2009.pdf
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BY PEOPLE WHO APPEAR IN IT We are writing to state our strong objections to ‘House of Numbers’ and the agendas it promotes. We consider the film as being harmful to the best interests of the general public and, in particular, people with HIV infection or at risk for acquiring it. We all appear in the film, having granted interviews to its Director, Mr. Brent Leung, during the period 2006-2008. Mr. Leung was deceptive in his interactions with us. He informed us that his film was intended to present the true history of AIDS research, and an accurate summary of the science of HIV infection. He also told several of us that he intended the film would expose and counter many of the myths about HIV and AIDS that have been promoted by a small clique of individuals we refer to as “AIDS denialists”. The reality is that his film does none of those things. Instead, it presents the AIDS denialist agenda as being a legitimate scientific perspective on HIV/AIDS, when it is no such thing. His film perpetuates pseudo-science and myths. AIDS denialists individually or collectively promote several notions that have no basis in science or the facts. Among these views are that HIV either does not exist or is harmless; that therapies for HIV infection are themselves the cause of AIDS; that drug abuse causes AIDS; that HIV was created by the US government to kill Africans and African-Americans as an act of genocide; that diagnostic tests for HIV infection do not work. None of these beliefs is true. AIDS denialism has caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of South Africans, and many more individuals in the USA and other countries. For more information on the dangers of AIDS denialism and the damage it has caused, we encourage you to review material posted at: http://www.aidstruth.org . The scientific facts are: HIV is a natural virus that entered the human population from chimpanzees many years ago. HIV diagnostic assays are highly accurate and reliable. Untreated HIV infection eventually kills most of the people who acquire it, by causing AIDS, but anti-retroviral therapy dramatically prolongs the lives of those who have access to it. While good nutrition is important for general health and well being, it is not sufficient to prevent or treat HIV infection and it cannot cure AIDS. For accurate sources of information on these central points, please refer to material posted at the following sites: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1126531 http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/ http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003538.htm http://www.aidsfactsheet.com/facts.htm We have viewed the film’s trailer, and we are aware of reports about the film’s contents that are circulating on the internet after Mr. Leung gave an advance showing to AIDS denialists (a courtesy he did not extend to us). We believe that ‘House of Numbers’ presents some of our views out of their proper context. By editing our interviews to suit his preconceived agenda, Mr. Leung attempts to portray AIDS scientists as divided and disorganized, and he seeks to present legitimate differences of scientific opinion on various aspects of HIV/AIDS in a way that disguises the wider and more substantive points on which we all agree and which we have stated strongly, here and elsewhere. ‘House of Numbers’ is an inaccurate portrayal of the truth about HIV and AIDS. Mr. Leung persuaded us to take part in it by acting deceitfully and unethically. None of us would have agreed to be interviewed for the film had we known it would promote the AIDS denialist agenda, and include members of that small clique as participants of supposedly equivalent credibility. We register our protest about ‘House of Numbers’ out of respect for the millions of people who have already died from AIDS. This film could cause more unnecessary deaths, if any of those who watch it are persuaded that it is not necessary to reduce their risks for acquiring HIV infection, or take the appropriate therapies if they do become infected. Donald Abrams, MD Professor, University of California San Francisco Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, PhD Professor, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France David Baltimore, PhD Professor, California Institute of Technology Niel T. Constantine, PhD Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore Robert C. Gallo, MD Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore Hans R. Gelderblom, PhD Professor, Robert Koch-Institut, Berlin, Germany Harold Jaffe, MD Professor, University of Oxford, UK Claudia Kücherer, PhD Robert Koch - Institute, Berlin, Germany Daniel R. Kuritzkes, MD Professor, Harvard University, Boston Reinhard Kurth, MD Professor, Robert Koch - Institute, Berlin, Germany Jay Levy, MD Professor, University of California San Francisco Joseph B. McCormick, MD Professor, University of Texas School of Public Health John P. Moore, PhD Professor, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York Nancy Padian, PhD Professor, University of California Berkeley Peter Piot, MD Professor, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK Robert R. Redfield, MD Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore Robin A. Weiss, PhD Professor, University College London, UK April 2009
House of Numbers Letter.pdf
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