Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / AIDS / December 2004
New York Post on Myth of Hetero AIDS - 2004
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PaulKing - 19 Dec 2004 21:55 GMT STRAIGHT AIDS MYTH SHATTERED New York Post March 19, 2004 --
THE public health experts - and their amen corner in the media - owe Helen Gurley Brown an apology.
The legendary Cosmopolitan editor was vilified in 1993 when she published a piece called "The Myth of Heterosexual AIDS." But she was right. Eleven years later, Details is asking: "Whatever Happened to AIDS and Straight Men?" The article states, "A disease-free man who has unprotected sex with a drug-free woman stands a one in 5 million chance of contracting HIV."
The story by Kevin Gray also cites a joke that made the rounds of the New York City Department of Health as statistics came in showing that the predicted spread of AIDS to heterosexuals wasn't happening: "What do you call a man who got HIV from his girlfriend? . . . A liar."
"I feel somewhat vindicated," Brown told PAGE SIX. Michael Fumento, who wrote the original 1990 book titled "The Myth of Heterosexual AIDS," said, "I'm not waiting for an apology. It's not going to happen." When Basic Books published Fumento's tome, "Distributors refused to handle it," he says. "Stores refused to carry it. And at many stores that did have it, clerks left it in the basement."
Celia Farber, who wrote an AIDS column in Spin magazine, was routinely attacked because she refused to rehash the propaganda put out by AmFAR and other groups.
"Everybody who was wrong got journalism awards. Everybody who was right got all but driven from the profession," Farber said.
Farber exposed the conspiracy between profit-hungry drug companies, researchers who wanted more funding, homosexuals who didn't want the disease to be known as "the gay plague," and conservatives who wanted to turn back the sexual revolution.
"They believed in what they were doing, not what they were saying," Fumento said. "They knew it was lies. They felt the end justified the means."
At a recent editorial meeting at Seed, the new science magazine, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Laurie Garrett supposedly threatened to quit when a colleague suggested a story about Peter Duesberg, a leading retrovirologist.
Duesberg lost his funding, his laboratory, and his students when he announced in 1987 that HIV doesn't cause AIDS. "He lost everything," said one insider. Duesberg switched to cancer research, and is now touted to win a Nobel Prize.
PaulKing - 19 Dec 2004 23:45 GMT The Word According to POZ Magazine:
Heterosexual AIDS epidemic a 'false medical panic women cannot transmit AIDS to male partners.'
You know change is in the air when a staunchly orthodox AIDS magazine like POZ runs a feature article on 'the myth of heterosexual AIDS.'
The October 2001 cover story 'We've Got the Juice,' begins with this intriguing lead paragraph: 'These women thought they had killer vaginas. Then they learned girls don't give guys AIDS. Now they're sticking it to the officials and advocates who made the myth of heterosexual AIDS,' and goes on from there into a surprising, sometimes bizarre, expose of sorts. Here are a few interesting quotes :'
If we are talking about a heterosexual AIDS epidemic, transmission efficiency would have to go both ways. It doesn't. It stops with a woman and will not cause an epidemic. Plenty of people have known and denied this from the beginning. It all started as a way for AIDS advocates to raise funds. – Dr. Joesph Sonnabend, MD, founder, AmFAR 'According to the US Centers for Disease Control1s surveillance report for the year 2000, of all estimated AIDS cases, only 3 percent were heterosexually transmitted'
POZ journalist Patrick Califia 'Among New York City's 15,000 AIDS cases, there were only eight female to male transmissions, and I have doubts about seven.' –Former Department of Health investigator Anastasia Lekatas.-
The article also includes the odd contention that men get AIDS from women in Africa and other developing nations, but they do not get AIDS from women in the developed worlds a difference that has not been adequately explained.
I did not find this issue or article at the POZ web site, but according to information there, you can purchase single back issues by calling toll free 800/9-READ POZ, or outside the US 815/734-4151. Please note that subscriptions are offered free of charge to HIV positives.
PaulKing - 20 Dec 2004 01:21 GMT Lack of Evidence for Transmission of HIV There has been the assumptium in both scientific and lay communities that vaginal HIV transmission does commonly exists, [...] the basis for that assumption rests on data that are unacceptably weak or flawed. The need for sexual change that has been claimed by public health and other authorities is not supported by the scientific data Brody S, Lack of Evidence for Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Through Vaginal Intercourse, Archives of Sexual Behavior 1995;24(4):383-393. Stuart Brody, Professor of Medical Psychology at the University of Tübingen, Germany, also wrote Sex at risk, Transaction Publishers, 1997, 222 pages. Sex at Risk is a comprehensive review of the scientific literature dealing with the transmission of AIDS. Like Michael Fumento's The Myth of Heterosexual AIDS, it exposes the mythology surrounding vaginal intercourse and AIDS transmission. "Nobody wants to look at the facts about the disease. It's the most extraordinary thing I've ever seen. I've sent countless letters to medical journals pointing out the epidemiological discrepancies and they simply ignore them . . . this whole heterosexual AIDS thing is a hoax." Dr Gordon Stewart, emeritus professor of epidemiology, University of Glasgow, and former AIDS advisor to the World Health Organisation, as quoted by Professor Hiram Caton in AIDS Mania, a charisma of hoax,1995. Epidemiological Evidence against Heterosexual Transmission of HIV, by Christian Fiala M.D. 2000. Prostitutes and sexual transmission,'HIV' is not an std , from AIDS Myth Exposed.com Safe Sex Notice Of course, people everywhere should be encouraged to behave more thoughtfully in their sexual lives. They should be provided with reliable counseling about condom use, contraception, family planning and venereal diseases. But whether in Cameroon or California, sex education must no longer be distorted by terrifying, dubious misinformation that equates sex with death. Writing about the African AIDS hoax, this is the conclusion of the article Myths of AIDS and Sex, by Charles L. Geshekter, New African, October 1994. Dr. Charles L. Geshekter is a professor of African history at the California State University, Chico. What about Africa ? Sex has nothing to do with it. Overall, 35% of Africa’s children are at higher risk of death than they were 10 years ago. Every hour, more than 500 African mothers lose a small child. In 2002, more than four million African children died. [...] Mostly, death comes in familiar garb. The main causes among children are depressingly recognizable: the perinatal conditions closely associated with poverty; diarrhoeal diseases; pneumonia and other lower respiratory tract conditions; and malaria. [It has nothing to do with “AIDS”, these were also common 50 years ago.] WHO, The World Health Report 2003. Notes from the conference AIDS in Africa, December 8th 2003, in the European Parliament. Nutritional AIDS dominates the scene in South Africa today as indeed it did during Apartheid. In the middle 50's and 60's, 50% of black children were dead before the age of 5. The causes of death were recorded as: PNEUMONIA, HIGH FEVER, DEHYDRATION and intractable DIARRHOEA due to protein deficiency. Today, these clinical features are called AIDS. Today in South Africa, TB is the leading cause of death and morbidity amongst Africans, but this is called AIDS. In conclusion, NUTRITIONAL AIDS is a direct result of Apartheid in association with capitalist iatrogenesis - hence the shacks (favelas), lack of sanitation, lack of clean drinking water, unemployment and destitution. Prof. Sam Mhlongo, MD, Chief Specialist Family Physician & Head of The Department of Family Medicine at The Medical University of Southern Africa; Member of the South African Presidential AIDS Advisory Panel, South Africa. In Tanzania, the population of the Kagera region, epicentre of AIDS 15 years ago, hasn’t ceased growing since then, ie with a 53% increase between 1988 and 2002. The demographic catastrophe expected as a result of the “deadliest epidemic in history” did not materialize, on the contrary. Yet, no real, concrete anti-viral measures were applied in the region. The only explanations for this lie in the improvement in the economic conditions and in development aid. An example of a global approach to development is found in the NGO, Partage Tanzania. While the experts, with their statistics, would have one believe that there exists an extremely serious HIV/AIDS epidemic, no trace of an epidemic is observable in the field. All that can be seen is a very poor,under-nourished population suffering from malaria, endemic immunodeficiency and common illnesses. Tanzania, Kagera Region, epicentre of AIDS 15 years ago: Present situation, by Marc Deru, MD and Nutritionist, Member of the Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of AIDS, Belgium. ---------- During the 1990s HIV propagated rapidly in Zimbabwe, increasing at an estimated rate of 12% annually. At the same time, the overall sexually transmitted infections (STI) burden declined an estimated 25% [...] while there was a parallel increase in reported condom use by high-risk persons (prostitutes, lorry drivers, miners, and young people). This example frames the problem: why would a relatively low efficiency sexually transmitted virus like HIV outrun more efficiently transmitted STI? In the notable four-cities study, many common sexual risk factors linked to HIV transmission (eg, high rate of partner change, sex with prostitutes, and low condom use) were not correlated with HIV prevalence Brewer DD, Brody S, et al. Mounting anomalies in the epidemiology of HIV in Africa: cry the beloved paradigm, International Journal of STD & AIDS 2003; 14: 144 - 147 That is one of the David Gisselquist group papers alluded to later in this page. ---------- Abstract of a thorough review of the situation of "AIDS" in Africa: AIDS in Africa: Distinguishing Fact and Fiction, E. Papadopulos-Eleopulos (1) Valendar F. Turner (2) John M. Papadimitriou (3) Harvey Bialy (4), World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology, 1995;11:135-143 (1) Department of Medical Physics, The Royal Perth Hospital, Western Australia; (2) Department of Emergency Medicine, Royal Perth Hospital; (3) Department of Pathology, University of Western Australia; (4) Bio/Technology The data widely purporting to show the existence and heterosexual transmission in Africa of a new syndrome caused by a retrovirus which induces immune deficiency is critically evaluated. It is concluded that both acquired immune deficiency (AID) and the symptoms and diseases which constitute the clinical syndrome S) are long standing in Africa, affect both sexes equally and are caused by factors other than HIV. The presence of positive HIV serology in Africans represents no more than cross-reactivity caused by an abundance of antibodies induced by the numerous infectious and parasitic diseases which are endemic in Africa, that is, a positive HIV antibody test does not prove HIV infection. Given the above, one would expect to find a high prevalence of "AIDS" and "HIV" antibodies in Africa. This is not proof of heterosexual transmission ofeither HIV or AIDS. Here are the last sentences in the conclusion of this review: More rationally, one might choose to agree with those African physicians and scientists including Richard and Rosalind Chirimuuta (Chirimuuta & Chirimuuta, 1987) who believe that immunosuppression and certain symptoms and diseases which constitute African AIDS have existed in Africa since time immemorial. According to Professor P.A.K. Addy, Head of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana "Europeans and Americans came to Africa with prejudiced minds, so they are seeing what they wanted to see... I've known for a long time that Aids is not a crisis in Africa as the world is being made to understand. But in Africa it is very difficult to stick your neck out and say certain things. The West came out with those frightening statistics on Aids in Africa because it was unaware of certain social and clinical conditions. In most of Africa, infectious diseases, particularly parasitic infections, are common. And there are other conditions that can easily compromise or affect one's immune system" (Hodgkinson, 1994). In the words of Dr. Konotey-Ahulu from the Cromwell Hospital in London, "Today, because of AIDS, it seems that Africans are not allowed to die from these conditions [from which they used to die before the AIDS era] any longer. ...Why do the world's media appear to have conspired with some scientists to become so gratuitously extravagant with the untruth?" (Konotey-Ahulu, 1987) Read chapter Is AIDS Devastating Africa? in the "What if everything you thought you knew about AIDS was wrong?" book. Articles about AIDS in Africa on the VirusMyth AIDS WebSite. The Truth about Aids in Africa, by Jeff Kaplan. CDC, UNAIDS and WHO positions How exactly *is* HIV transmitted? The Official answer: From "HIV and Its Transmission", a CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency of the USA Department of Health and Human Services) fact sheet: (Last Updated: September 22, 2003) Research has revealed a great deal of valuable medical, scientific, and public health information about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The ways in which HIV can be transmitted have been clearly identified. Unfortunately, false information or statements that are not supported by scientific findings continue to be shared widely through the Internet or popular press. Therefore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has prepared this fact sheet to correct a few misperceptions about HIV. How HIV is Transmitted HIV is spread by sexual contact with an infected person, by sharing needles and/or syringes (primarily for drug injection) with someone who is infected, or, less commonly [...] CDC is committed to providing the scientific community and the public with accurate and objective information about HIV infection and AIDS. It is vital that clear information on HIV infection and AIDS be readily available to help prevent further transmission of the virus and to allay fears and prejudices caused by misinformation. -------- Government-nurtured fear of AIDS, achieving pro-family goals Though scientists and anti-AIDS activists knew that the government-nurtured fear of AIDS among upscale, non-drug-using heterosexuals was exaggerated, not everyone thought this was a bad thing. Indeed, many credited rampant fear with achieving pro-family goals that no amount of moralizing alone could have accomplished. [...] "I don't see that much downside in slightly exaggerating [AIDS risk]" says John Ward, chief of the CDC branch that keeps track of AIDS cases. "Maybe hey'll wear a condom. Maybe they won't sleep with someone they don't know." AIDS Fight is Skewed by Federal Campaign Exaggerating Risks, Wall Street Journal, May 1, 1996. Cover story, by Amanda Bennett and Anita Sharpe, staff reporters. ---------------- Notes from a discussion at the conference AIDS in Africa, December 8th 2003 in the European Parliament, with Stuart BRODY, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, University of Tübingen, Germany. Dr. Brody is a member of the David Gisselquist group that has published several papers during the last year questioning sexual and vertical transmission of HIV/AIDS in Africa. The group has suggested that medical or iatrogenic transmission through unclean injections in Africa may be the explanation for "HIV infections" in the continent. With the intent of censoring their views, UNAIDS and WHO held a meeting with these researchers in March, 2003, and released a declaration stating: "An expert group has reaffirmed that unsafe sexual practices are responsible for the vast majority of HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa, and that safer sex promotion must remain the primary feature of prevention programmes in the region." The Official WHO and UNAIDS statement (where the experts remain anonymous): Expert group stresses that unsafe sex is primary mode of transmission of HIV in Africa. WHO and UNAIDS Expert Group Statement, 14 March 2003. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2003 A reply from the David Gisselquist group has been published in the Science's AIDS Prevention and Vaccine Research Site, here is the introduction: The belief that sex is the primary mode of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission in sub-Saharan Africa is an assertion so widely accepted and has remained unquestioned for so long that it has taken on the status of a received truth. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint U.N. Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) recently convened an expert consultation to review issues raised in a series of papers published in the International Journal of STD & AIDS (1-4) that questioned the validity of that assertion. After examining the papers, WHO and UNAIDS issued a press release announcing that "the vast majority of evidence [supports the view] that unsafe sexual practices continue to be responsible for the overwhelming majority of infections" (5). As co-authors of the controversial articles (1-4), and as participants in the Geneva meeting (three of us), we state that WHO's conclusion is premature. It is neither based on those discussions, nor on a more considered review of the relevant literature. Gisselquist D, Potterat JJ, et al, Examining the hypothesis that sexual transmission drives Africa’s HIV epidemic, AIDScience. 2003;3(10). ABC approach to behaviour change In 2001, the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) endorsed the ABC approach to preventing HIV infection. The ABC approach to behaviour change gives three clear messages for preventing the transmission of HIV. ABC stands for: Abstain from having sexual relations or, for youth, delay having sex; Be faithful to one uninfected partner; and use Condoms consistently and correctly. From the United Nations Population Fund State of world population 2003 report. The condom (or not) focus hides a successful underlying agenda. We were moving toward a more feeling, freer society I rank the publicizing of AIDS right up there with the atomic bomb as events that impacted our culture for the worse. We were moving toward a more feeling, freer society until AIDS Jack Nicholson, actor in 58 movies, with 12 Oscar nominations and 3 statuettes, Playboy interview, January 2004, 50th anniversary issue. Everybody's not doing it. That's the word from Newsweek, The Atlantic, and other trend watchers: Couples are having less sex these days than even in the famously uptight '50s. Why? Busy, exhausting lives is the easy answer. But how Americans view eroticism in the wake of recent sexual and social revolutions may be an even bigger factor, according to a growing number of researchers and social observers. Introduction to the cover story "In search of Erotic Intelligence", Utne Reader, September / October 2003. AIDS is the most political disease of our age. By 1987, media reporting on AIDS and safe sex education had penetrated the consciousness of most sexually active men and women. The US Surgeon General summed up the effects of the massive campaign by declaring that “AIDS has killed the sexual revolution” Hiram Caton, The Aids Mirage. Professor Hiram Caton (1995) is Head of the School of Applied Ethics at Griffith University, Queensland, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Biology. AIDS is not just another disease. [...] It is the ultimate triumph of politics over science. Michael Fumento, The Myth of Heterosexual AIDS, 1990. Michael Fumento, author, journalist, and attorney specializing in science and health issues, is a former AIDS analyst for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
PaulKing - 20 Dec 2004 01:21 GMT At San Francisco General Hospital epidemiologist Dr Andrew Moss admits that there are few hard facts on heterosexual AIDS.
DR. ANDREW MOSS: "We don't know how fast it's spreading heterosexually and we won't know how fast it's spreading and what's likely to happen without some more knowledge about those areas."
How do you feel about the general predictions concerning the spread of AIDS?
DR. ANDREW MOSS: "I think most official predictions about the spread of AIDS have been consistently wrong in this country, and in Britain and in the world, and I think that there's two reasons for that. One is a lot of very bad science was done, and the other is that political pressures to have high numbers. All administrative numbers are political. And that usually inflates from the opposite direction, and I think it's been hard for people to back away from their high numbers."
Inflated predictions involving the transmission of HIV and AIDS through women have had to be revised.
Prostitutes were quickly focused on but a UK survey involving 250 prostitute women over 5 years at St. Mary's Hospital in London showed only three to be HIV positive. Two were intravenous drug users and one the partner of an i/v drug user. The three are said to be in good health.
PaulKing - 20 Dec 2004 01:22 GMT EPIDEMIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE AGAINST HETEROSEXUAL TRANSMISSION OF HIV AND AGAINST PREVENTION-CAMPAIGNS
By Christian Fiala
(extract)
Prostitutes are at special risk when it comes to STDs. Consequently one would expect a high prevalence of HIV-positive results in this population.
Interestingly a study among prostitutes in Europe found an HIV-prevalence
of 5,3%. But most of the positive results came from prostitutes admitting
i.v. drug consumption (prevalence of 32% compared to 1,5% among the non-drug consuming prostitutes). This is confirmed by the routine screening among the 800 prostitutes in Vienna (1,5 Mio Inhabitants.) Since 1985 a total of three of them was found to be HIV-positive.
Again this is incompatible with a STD spreading among the heterosexual population nor can any effect of the prevention campaigns be demonstrated.
Kunz, Virusepidemiologische Information, 1987-97, Wien
European Working Group on HIV Infection in Female Prostitutes; HIV infection in European female sex workers: epidemiological link with use of petroleum-based lubricants, AIDS, 1993; Mar; 7(3): 4.1-8
http://www.virusmyth.net/aids/data/cfepidem.htm
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