The denial that HIV causes AIDS has no basis in scientific evidence, yet the question persists largely because one noted scientist claimed it doesn’t early in the epidemic. Who are the HIV denialists?
The godfather of the anti-HIV cabal is Peter Duesberg, Ph.D. of UC-Berkeley. Media stories sometimes refer to him as a virologist. It is important to note that he is not a virologist and certainly is not a physician; he is a molecular biochemist. Duesberg was once part of a team of award-winning researchers in cancer, hence his reputation, but his only real connection to HIV research was to serve on the team which decoded the basic genome of HIV in the mid-1980s. Another high-profile dissident is molecular pharmacologist David Rasnick, likewise neither a virologist nor doctor.
Duesberg made his headline-grabbing claims about HIV in the late 1980s, declaring it harmless and certainly not the cause of immunologic devastation. At the time, little was understood about the mechanisms of HIV infection and disease pathogenesis; indeed, astoundingly little was understood about how the immune system works. The issues of his notorious ego aside, I believe that Duesberg would not have been so quick to deny HIV’s role had the disease process been understood then, but that he painted himself into an intellectual corner and would not, or could not, say “oops!” and extract himself.
The AIDS denialists perform no research and treat no patients, yet they persist in their claims – and their accusations. Valid questions legitimately asked deserve answers. Rant for its own sake, however, grows tiresome and detracts from the hard work at hand.
–Sandy Bartlett, Community Information/Education Coordinator
AIDS Services of Austin
This article appears in June 2 • 2000.