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2) The number of HIV carriers has remained relatively con- year by the US government alone. This money is devoted stant at about 1 million since 1985 when the antibody test almost solely to projects based on an unproven and so far was initiated.‘ entirely unproductive hypothesis with mounting inconsisten- 3) There is not enough HIV in the bodies of PWAs to cies and contradictions. Specifically, most of the research account for the billions of T-cells being killed.’ dollars are spent on vaccines and anti-virals which may be of 4) HIV can hardly be isolated from patients with AIDS, _ little value considering: suggesting that the body's natural vaccination process has a) antibodies to HIV have already vaccinated the blood of occurred.” PWAs; and 5) Kaposi's sarcoma has been found in many young male b) such minuscule amounts of HIV are found in the blood homosexuals who have never been infected by HIV. Even of PWAs that anti-virals would have little efficacy. adherents of the HIV hypothesis now concede that KS is not In consideration of the evidence presented, The HIV caused by HIV. Nonetheless, this disease is diagnosed as Connection? calls on our AIDS establishment to immediately ‘AIDS' but only when the sufferer reassess the current HIV-AIDS also has antibodies to HIV.* hypothesis and to encourage 6) Other AIDS indicator dis- aw : research into other possible causes eases with T-cell depletion are Currently 1 billion dollars is spent of AIDS. The group hopes this found in individuals who do not on AIDS research each year by the reassessment will lead to a-more have antibodies to HIV. In fact, productive AIDS hypothesis in all AIDS diseases have occurred ; US government alone. terms of public health benefits, in all risk groups in the absence of This money Is devoted almost including AIDS prevention, treat- HIV or its antibodies since the . ment and prediction of the course of beginning of the epidemic. HIV solely to projects based On aN the epidemic within the population infection is thus not a necessary unproven and so far entirely at large and the course of illness prerequisite for a diagnosis of . . ‘ within each individual. AIDS were it not for the biased unproductive hypothesis with (Reprinted with permission from definition.”* mounting inconsistencies and Australasian Health and Healing 7) Tests show that the number oye (vol. 13, no. 2, February-April of HIV-infected T-cells remains contradictions. 1994), PO Box 206, Kingscliff the same no matter if you are NSW 2487, Australia; phone (066) asymptomatic Or haV¢ fU/-IOV Cua _——-£ 74 24()7. Originally published in AIDS. Any other viral infection would show a dramatic the Townsend Letter for Doctors (April 1993 edition), 911 increase throughout the course of the disease.’ Tyler Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368-6541, USA; phone 8) Although sexually transmitted discases infect males and (206) 385 6021. females equally, more than 90% of American AIDS sufferers are male. This is true even of health care workers who devel- A FOOTNOTES = pain althongh two-thirds of all US health care workers 5 iii, Gallo has been partially credited with the discovery of HIV but 9) The risk of getting AIDS for HIV-infected people varies Tine ue sallat ine Reach goversmneny eens ecoention sil remains tenfold with gender or country. In America, the annual AIDS _** Rerroviruses are a subsct of viruses. Essentially they are very similar, except risk of an HIV-infected person is currently 4%; in Africa it is _ in replication process, viruses convert DNA to RNA. Retroviruses are the oppo- 0.3%." site in that they convert RNA to DNA. 10) HIV is spread primarily through homosexuals in the __*** PCR is Polymerase Chain Reaction, a method of amplification. It is the bio- US and primarily through heterosexuals in Africa.’ This Seeker Re grees a hago would suggest that AIDS is possibly a non-infectious disease. © REFERENCES 11) So-called "African AIDS" affects males and females 1. Palca, J., "Hints emerge from the Gallo probe", Science 253:728-31 (1991a); equally, and also involves a different pattern of associated Hamilton, D. P., "What next in the Gallo case?", Science 254:941-5 (1991). opportunistic infections. These differing patterns do not res- 2. Calliton, B. J., "Inside the Gallo probe", Science 248:1494-8 (1990). 7 ri te 3. Simmonds, P., Balle P., Peutherer, J. F., Ludlam, C. A., Bishop, J. O. and cue the HIV hypothesis for American AIDS, but indicate that Ligh Brown, A. J., "Human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals con- a single virus may not be responsible for the multitude of tain provinus in small numbers of peripheral mononuclear cells and at low copy conditions diagnosed as AIDS in Africa and America.’ numbers”, J. Virol, 64:864-72 (1990). 12) About three-fourths of the 20,000 US haemophiliacs 4. Duesberg, P. H., "Human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodefi- were infected with HIV almost 10 years ago. According to ciency syndrome: correlation but not causation", Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 4 : 86:755-65 (1989c). the HIV hypothesis, at least half of those infected should 5" Centers for Disease Control, “The Second 100,000 Cases of Acquired have died by now—but the mortality rate among haemophili- immunodeficiency Syndrome - United States, June 1981-December 1991", acs has remained constant at 2% over the last 15 years.’° Morb. Mortal. Weekly Reports 41:28-9 (1992). 13) HIV is said to be a sexually transmitted virus, yet it is 6. Centers for Disease Control, HIV/AIDS Surveillance, Year-end Edition barely detectable in the semen of AIDS patients." eal US Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA, USA, 14) The same diseases are found in similar frequencies in james Ee a 7. Institute of Medicine, Confronting AIDS, National Academy Press, HIV-positive and HIV-negative intravenous drug users, and Washington, DC, USA, 1986, updated 1988. the overall mortality in the two groups is the same."? 8, Friedman-Kien, A. E., Saltzman, B. R., Cao, Y., Nestor, M. S., Mirabile, M., FOOTNOTES * Technically, Gallo has been partially credited with the discovery of HIV but the French/American agreement to split the profits and recognition still remains, against the will of the French government. ** Retroviruses are a subset of viruses. Essentially they are very similar, except in replication process, viruses convert DNA to RNA. Retroviruses are the oppo- site in that they convert RNA to DNA. #** PCR is Polymerase Chain Reaction, a method of amplification. It is the bio- chemical equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. REFERENCES 1, Palca, J., "Hints emerge from the Gallo probe", Science 253:728-31 (1991a); Hamilton, D. P., "What next in the Gallo case?", Science 254:941-5 (1991). 2. Culliton, B. J., "Inside the Gallo probe", Science 248:1494-8 (1990). 3. Simmonds, P., Balle P., Peutherer, J. F., Ludlam, C. A., Bishop, J. O. and Leigh Brown, A. J., "Human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals con- tain provirus in small numbers of peripheral mononuclear cells and at low copy numbers”, J. Virol. 64:864-72 (1990). 4. Duesberg, P. H., "Human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodefi- ciency syndrome: correlation but not causation”, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 86:755-65 (1989c). 5. Centers for Disease Control, “The Second 100,000 Cases of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - United States, June 198 1-December 1991", Morb. Mortal. Weekly Reports 41:28-9 (1992). 6. Centers for Disease Control, HIV/AIDS Surveillance, Year-end Edition (January), US Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA, USA, 1992. 7. Institute of Medicine, Confronting AIDS, National Academy Press, Washington, DC, USA, 1986, updated 1988. 8. Friedman-Kien, A. E., Saltzman, B. R., Cao, Y., Nestor, M. S., Mirabile, M., Li, J. J. and Peterman, T. A., “Kaposi's sarcoma in HIV-negative homosexual NEXUS ¢41 APRIL - MAY 1994 CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS Continued on page 74 Currently I billion dollars is spent on AIDS research each