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Answering AIDS denialists and AIDS lies


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The Durban declaration states:

The evidence that AIDS is caused by HIV-1 or HIV-2 is clear-cut, exhaustive and unambiguous, meeting the highest standards of science. ... HIV causes AIDS. It is unfortunate that a few vocal people continue to deny the evidence. This position will cost countless lives.

Our approach to countering AIDS denialists

Our objective is to provide factual information on HIV/AIDS and to counter the misrepresentations made by AIDS denialists. We also point to the harm caused by AIDS denialism (and by those who profit from it by selling unproven remedies) and alert appropriate organizations and appropriate authorities to the conduct of AIDS denialists when they breach the normal standards of professional ethics and competence.

We will not engage in any public or private debate with AIDS denialists or respond to requests from journalists who overtly support AIDS denialist causes. This is because there is no legitimate debate: the peer-reviewed scientific literature proves that HIV causes AIDS, AIDS kills, and AIDS can be treated with significant success by the use of antiretroviral therapy. AIDS denialists ignore, misunderstand and willfully misrepresent the scientific facts and hence there is no point debating them.

Debating denialists would dignify their dangerous position in a way that is unjustified by the facts about HIV/AIDS. The appropriate way for dissenting scientists to try to persuade other scientists of their views on any scientific subject is by publishing research in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. For many years now, AIDS denialists have been unsuccessful in persuading credible peer-reviewed journals to accept their views on HIV/AIDS, because of their scientific implausibility and factual inaccuracies. That failure does not entitle those who disagree with the scientific consensus on a life-and-death public health issue to then attempt to confuse the general public by creating the impression that scientific controversy exists when it does not.

Resources for countering AIDS denialists

This site was created to help prevent lives from being lost due to ignorance or misunderstanding. The items below address some of the most common assertions made by AIDS denialists.