Caleb Grochalski

English Composition 1
Mr. Wesolowski
November 8, 2013
AIDS Denialism Controversy
Does HIV cause AIDS?
Magic Johnson, Liberace, Alvin Ailey, Larry Kramer, and Freddy mercury. What do they all
have in common? Every one of them have been Diagnosed with HIV, AIDS, or both diseases.
HIV/AIDS is a virus that is transmitted through bodily fluid which infiltrated the immune system. The
virus attacks and destroys T-Cells which weaken the immune system and make the body more
susceptible to harm from all illnesses. One in five people in the US living with HIV are unaware that
they are infected and every 9.5 minutes, someone is infected with HIV. HIV is an acronym standing for
Human Immunodeficiency Virus and AIDS standing for Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome.
Many scientists have tried, since the discovery of the virus in 1981, to find out why the immune system
can't help itself out. Aids.gov statistics read that the first real discovery of HIV/AIDS was On June 5,
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publish a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly
Report (MMWR), describing cases of a rare lung infection, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), in
five young, previously healthy, gay men in Los Angeles. All the men have other unusual infections as
well, indicating that their immune systems are not working; two have already died by the time the
report is published.

Recently, scientists have begun to re-think that HIV and AIDS are the same virus, just as a
matter of severity. But, some believe that the two are completely different diseases altogether. There
are over one million people in the United States currently living with HIV. Those most affected by
AIDS and HIV are sexually promiscuous homosexual and bisexual men. Aids.gov also says By

race, African Americans face the most severe HIV burden. In the year 2009, over 17,000 people in the
US died of AIDS, and over 619,000 have died since the beginning of the epidemic began in 1981;
That's approximately 19,000 each year. This issue is important is because this disease affects only
humans, and it has been a very consistent disease within the past 30+ years. This is not a disease that
affects only homosexual and bisexual men, but a disease that affects all humans and we need to be
more aware of it. Recently it has become subject to medical scientists, that maybe these diseases are
not a rather of severity, but they are two different viruses. This leads to the question: does HIV cause
AIDS?
For many years, AIDS has been understood to be a result of HIV, and in an article by the
National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases about the sciences of HIV and AIDS. It is written
that by killing or damaging the body's immune system, HIV progressively destroys the body's ability
to fight infections and certain cancers. People with AIDS are susceptible to opportunistic infections,
such as viruses and bacterias that usually do not make people sick. The NIAID states that the epidemic
is growing the most among minority populations and is a leading killer of African- American men from
25-44. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), AIDS affects seven times more African
Americans and three times more Hispanics than white people, also the rate of women and children with
HIV/AIDS of minority races have increased past years. Symptoms of HIV occur within months of
being infected, and common symptoms are unexplained infections, weight less, diarrhea, and fever. It is
written that AIDS occurs about 9 or 10 years after a person is infected with HIV. These diseases are
spread through blood, semen, breast milk, sharing needles while doing drugs, and an infected mother
giving birth. The way that these diseases are diagnosed is a laboratory test reveals if a T-cell count is
below 200 and Blood tests for HIV antibodies. Currently there are no cures for HIV/ AIDS but there
are medicines that can slow down the expansion of the disease. We all can prevent it by not engaging in
unprotected sex (of any kind) and using injected drugs.
The NIAID and the CDC make excellent points, but they seem to be lacking the point the

differences of the diseases. These very high up organizations keep categorizing theses diseases
together, as one. The differences between these diseases, as the article says, is more T- cells are
destroyed and the suitor is more susceptible to harsher diseases. Also, the symptoms they describe can
be a multitude of diseases, disorders, and sicknesses other than HIV or AIDS. Diarrhea, fever, weight
loss, and swollen glands, are all also symptoms of the common flu. Basically this article says 'If you
have the flu, go and get checked for HIV because the symptoms are the same as HIV. This article was
very basic and had a very little depiction from the two diseases.
On the other hand, there are firm believers that HIV does not cause AIDS. Dr. Peter Duesberg
of Berkley, California is one of those firm believers, and in the article written by Bob Guccione Jr.,
Duesberg is interviewed about his theories and beliefs. Spin Magazine asks Duesberg why he believes
HIV does not cause AIDS, to which he replies Every virus I've ever seen gets its job done by killing a
cell at a time, and when it has killed enough, you get sick. HIV is said to be responsible for the loss of
T-cells, which are the immune system. Now, in every AIDS patient studied so far, there is never more
than, on average, one in 1,000 cells infected by HIV. There are even about 4,000 cases of AIDS where
no HIV is present and that is through experimentation. He says that the CDC does not check for HIV
when AIDS is present, it is only assumed that the person is HIV positive, they never test for it. Though
HIV destroys T- Cells, there are a million people with HIV and their T- Cells are completely normal.
He even says HIV is one of the most harmless viruses you could possibly have. Deusberg also makes
several points about the fact that AIDS isn't only an Auto Immune Deficiency, but it also can be
lymphoma, dementia, and the 'wasting disease'.
Deusberg tends to make excellent points about AIDS not being linked to HIV. The first one
being that HIV does not kill as many T-Cells as it is drummed up to kill. Also, Spin magazine asked a
very crucial question which was if AIDS was an autoimmune disease, but HIV just isn't the trigger? To
which Duesberg replies, that some, but not all of the AIDS diseases are autoimmune, such as Kaposi
sarcomas and the rest are the 'wasting disease'. When he says that, it opens so many doors to new

opportunities for research and possibilities for cures to the different diseases that fall under the AIDS
name.
Both articles make very compelling arguments to whether AIDS and HIV are related or not. The
problem with the first article though, is it seems to be lacking detail about the two diseases. It only
addresses both at the same time. Although, weighing both articles is a no brainer; there is obviously
more fact and study in the Duesberg article, rather than the NIAID's article. AIDS and HIV are very
complex and harmful diseases that have very different effects on the human immune system. One just
minorly harms the immune system, much like getting a regular virus as stated in the Duesberg article.
AIDS is a much more severe and 90% of the time fatal disease that kills off over 50% of the immune
system, so that anything going into a body is a lot more radical. But, when Duesberg makes the points
as to whether HIV causes AIDS or not, he had an awful lot more detail and research laid out than what
the NIAID's basic fats and overviews of the diseases, lacking detail.
So we have come to the conclusion that AIDS and HIV are very similar, but they are both
different in many ways. Duesberg has obviously takes a lot out of his life to research his theories and
points. I feel that the world should take more caution in their sexual acts and drug use that way these
diseases don't spread as much. Health education is lacking in the US educational system and Duesberg's
statistics have shown that 38% of the people who have retracted HIV and/or AIDS are teenagers 13-19.
WE also need to continue funding research for the research for a cure so we can wipe out this disease
so we dont need to worry about it, much like polio. To answer the question that was stated before, no.
No I do not believe HIV causes AIDS.