AIDS denialism-- a loosely
conglomerated movement comprised primarily of HIV-positive conspiracy
theorists-- has its appeal. Who wouldn't, after hearing the grim diagnosis of
HIV, want to believe that the virus is innoccuous? Proponents of AIDS denialism
believe that HIV is a harmless carrier virus and that it has nothing to do with
AIDS. Unfortunately, the phenomenon of AIDS denialism has led to hundreds of
thousands of deaths throughout the world.
In fact,
nearly a half-million AIDS deaths have been attributed to former South African
president Thabo Mbeki's AIDS denialism. With adequate funding, medical care and
education, most of these AIDS deaths could have been prevented. Unfortunately,
thousands of HIV-positive people still skip condoms and avoid treatment because
they refuse to accept the virus's undoubable link to AIDS. Almost all AIDS
denialists die prematurely of HIV-related infections.
The list
is extensive, but here are just a few outspoken AIDS denialists who have died
of AIDS.
1. Christine Maggiore
The
founder of "Alive and Well AIDS Alternatives," Christine Maggiore
successfully convinced thousands of HIV-positive people to avoid treatment and
to practice unprotected sex. After refusing to take antiretrovirals during
pregnancy, she gave birth to daughter who appeared to be HIV-positive. The girl
was severely underweight and frequently sick, but Maggiore denied that her
daughter could possibly have AIDS. Tragically-- and predictably-- Maggiore's
daughter died of AIDS at age three. Her death could have been prevented by
proper treatment.
Christine
Maggiore herself died a few years later of pneumonia and a systemic yeast
infection-- two opportunistic infections characteristic
of advanced AIDS.
2. Marietta Ndziba
A classic
example of someone who trusted multi-level marketing in lieu of effective
medical care, Marietta Ndziba was one of many South African AIDS sufferers who
believed claims that multivitamin supplements could cure HIV and prevent AIDS.
Shortly before her death, she claimed that she was extremely healthy despite
her AIDS diagnosis, attributing her success to micronutrient supplements.
Marietta
Ndziba died of AIDS while pursuing her multivitamin regimen. Her relatives,
desperate to stand by her AIDS denialism, claimed that she died of a stress
headache.
3. David Pasquarelli
The
leader of the AIDS denialist group ACT UP San Francisco, David Pasquarelli was
a good-hearted but deeply misled activist. Pasquarelli believed that HIV and
AIDS were completely unrelated phenomena. He believed that AIDS was the product
of a homophonic and eugenic government conspiracy, and that people with HIV
could lead healthy lives without medical treatment.
Pasquarelli
died of AIDS at age 37. His causes of death read as a nearly all-inclusive list
of HIV-defining conditions. Among his terminal diseases were anemia, thrush,
meningitis, mycobacterium, CMV and PCP.
4. Casper G. Schmidt
AIDS
denialism is even scarier when its proponents include medical practitioners.
Dr. Casper Schmidt, a licensed psychiatrist, authored an article entitled,
"The Group-Fantasy Origins of AIDS," which suggests that AIDS is
nothing more than a massive case of "epidemic hysteria." Schmidt
believed not only that HIV did not cause AIDS, but also that AIDS itself did
not exist. (Note that this was in the mid-1980s, when AIDS denialism might have
still appeared somewhat plausible.)
Predictably
and tragically, Dr. Schmidt died of AIDS ten years after authoring his
AIDS-denialist article. Proponents of his theories still cite his
"research," even though Schmidt's death itself reveals the fallacy of
his theory.
5. Jody Wells
An
outspoken AIDS denialist, Jody Wells founded the UK-based AIDS denialist
newsletter "Continuum." He and the other editors of Continuum
promoted the notion that AIDS was a conspiracy and that it was unrelated to
HIV. Wells believed that AIDS fears were founded in homophobia, not science.
Jody
Wells died of AIDs in 1995.
6. Tony Tompsett
One of
Continuum's most prolific contributors, Tony Tompsett wrote for the AIDS
denialist movement from 1993 until his death in 1998. At age 39, Tompsett
passed away from Kaposi's sarcoma, pneumonia and toxoplasmosis-- three diseases
utterly characteristic of HIV infection and AIDS.
7. Huw Christie
A gay
rights activist and AIDS denialist, Huw Christie also wrote and edited the
denialist magazine Continuum. He died in 2001 of Kaposi's sarcoma-- a
herpes-related tumor viewed as one of the classic AIDS-defining illnesses.
All of
Continuum's editors have now died of AIDS, so the denialist newsletter is no
longer published.
8. Sylvie Cousseau
An
extremely vocal AIDS denialist, Sylvie Cousseau gathered testimonials from
"healthy" people who were living with HIV and refusing medical
treatment. Most, if not all, of the people who contributed testimonials to
Cousseau's list have developed AIDS and/or died from the condition.
Cousseau
himself died of AIDS in 2001.
9. Scott Zanetti
One of
the contributors to Cousseau's list of "AIDS-free" HIV sufferers,
Scott Zanetti was active in the AIDS denialist community. Shortly after
authoring a heartwarming testimonial about his medication-free, illness-free,
HIV-positive life, Zanetti in 2002. His cause of death? Yes, you guessed it.
AIDS.
10. Peter Mokaba
South
African politician Peter Mokaba, a prominent AIDS denialist, was the ruler of
the ruling political party known as the African National Congress. Mokaba was
HIV positive, but refused treatment because he viewed pharmaceutical drugs as
poisonous. He died in 2002 of AIDS-related pneumonia.
11. Raphael Lombardo
A regular
poster to the "Virusmyth" AIDS denialist messageboard, Raphael
Lombardo wrote in May of 1995 that he was HIV positive but not at all sick. He
claimed that he was extremely healthy and knew that his HIV was harmless, so he
refused any treatment with conventional drugs. Lombardo died of AIDS only a
year after claiming that he was in extraordinarily good health.
12. Jack Levine
Jack
Levine's story is a haunting example of how dogmatic conspiracy theorists can
turn violently on a person who questions their assessments. Jack Levine was a
regular contributor to the Virusmyth messageboards also frequented by Raphael
Lombardo. When Levine fell ill, he began to question AIDS denialism and fellow
board contributors turned aggressively on him. He died of AIDS in 2002, and the
messageboard was removed to hide the shocking record of other members' cruelty
toward him as he dealt with advanced, untreated AIDS.
13. Kelly Jon Landis
A
self-proclaimed "dissident saint," Kelly Jon Landis believed that
AIDS drugs themselves caused every symptom of AIDS. He was an avid cycist,
health food fanatic and fan of holistic medicine. Unfortunately, he carried his
assumptions about "healthy" living a bit too far, assuming that his
lifestyle could protect him from the development of AIDS. Landis died of AIDS
in 2007 after a long battle with advanced infection.
Unfortunately,
these deaths are only a small fraction of the AIDS denialists who have died of
AIDS. More can be seen at AIDStruth.org.
Although these deaths were tragic, some good may have come from them. They have
demonstrated the inherent fallacy in AIDS denialism and other forms of blind
conspiracy theory. Because of the examples they have set, more people with HIV
may seek effective treatment-- and, equally importantly, may take measures to
prevent the spread of the disease.
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