Consensus Letter: Peter Duesberg
Project Inform is circulating a consensus letter addressed to the National Academy of Sciences, concerning "the continuing public campaign of Peter Duesberg to convince the public, people at risk of HIV infection, and people already infected that HIV poses no threat to them and that current treatments for the disease and recreational drug abuse are in fact the cause of the disease." The immediate event which led to this letter was the publication of large advertisements headlined "Breakthrough Discoveries in Scientific HIV/AIDS Research" in three gay newspapers in San Francisco. The ad, for a talk by Dr. Duesberg on August 9, included "two symbols of scientific credibility, the Seal of the University of California, and reference to his 1986 appointment to the National Academy of Sciences."The letter has been endorsed so far by over 20 AIDS organizations, including AIDS Project Los Angeles, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, ACT UP/Golden Gate, AIDS Research Alliance, Community Research Initiative on AIDS, and Critical Path AIDS Project.
For a copy of the letter, which is still open for endorsements, call Project Inform, 800/822-7422, or fax a request to FAIR (Foundation for AIDS & Immune Research) in Los Angeles, 310/471-4565.
Comment
We have become increasingly concerned about the promotion of the idea that HIV is harmless, and that accepted medical treatments are useless (or are the cause of AIDS). A number of people are using these teachings to justify rejecting all medical care for HIV infection, and ignoring guidelines for reducing HIV transmission -- seriously threatening their own health and that of others.
Nine years ago Dr. Duesberg spoke in the same auditorium, at the Metropolitan Community Church in the Castro district of San Francisco, sharing the stage with an advocate for unconventional syphilis theories. At that time the building was packed, with people struggling for space near a doorway or window where they could hear. This year there were empty seats in the auditorium, which holds about 300 -- although the toll-free 888 number, set up to take registrations for the free event, had announced that it was full.
We distributed the following flyer outside the meeting.
Duesberg -- And You
When you hear Peter Duesberg, Ph.D., you should know:
Despite his tenure at the University of California, his ideas are rejected by almost 100% of AIDS scientists and doctors. They are not taken seriously.
Dr. Duesberg and his followers are not medical doctors; they do not treat patients. As far as we know, there is no doctor in the U.S. or anywhere else who treats patients according to Duesberg's ideas.
But Duesberg is an excellent, persuasive public speaker. He knows how to sound reasonable, use humor, and include statements that are true, important, and meaningful to people. He offers an easy, comforting approach to HIV. This is why he has been able to influence people to trust him and reject their doctors' advice.
New treatments have greatly reduced AIDS deaths, hospitalizations, and other complications. Many people who were disabled are now going back to work. Several years ago, the Bay Area Reporter filled an obituary section every week (as many as 37 death notices in a single week); in the last year, there have usually been four or five in each issue, some of them unrelated to AIDS. (The newspaper has not changed its policy of immediately publishing all obituaries received.)
Competent medical care for AIDS does not necessarily mean taking drugs; many patients are healthy without drugs and choose to leave well enough alone for now, with their doctor's support. What is important is to see a doctor who is experienced with HIV, to be monitored so that options can be considered and treatment started when it does become necessary. Treatment for HIV infection, like treatment for any serious illness, must be individualized for each patient. No single approach or philosophy fits all.
Unfortunately there is now an organized, well-financed campaign which encourages people with HIV to reject lifesaving medical care. People have heard Duesberg say that HIV does not cause AIDS and that drugs do, and have rejected all medical care for HIV infection (and safer-sex precautions as well). Medical experts agree that without treatment, almost everyone with HIV will ultimately progress to AIDS and death. Persons who wait until they need emergency care have much worse treatment prospects than those who start earlier.
For More Information
Do not make life and death decisions after hearing only one point of view -- especially a view entirely rejected by medical professionals. Many credible AIDS resources are available in San Francisco. Some examples:
Project Inform runs a hotline (558-9051, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or Saturday 10 to 4, Pacific time). It also has excellent written information available without charge, and a volunteer program which includes training on AIDS, HIV, and treatment options.
ACT UP/Golden Gate meets in the Castro every Tuesday evening, focusing on getting new treatments developed faster, and on access, insurance, and housing issues. For information, call 252-9200.
Healing Alternatives Foundation has an AIDS treatment library at Market St. near Valencia, with information about both mainstream and alternative treatments. For schedule and other information, call their voicemail at 626-2316.
Many Web sites have excellent AIDS information. For example, see http://www.aegis.com; http://www.projinf.org; http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu; http://www.aids.edu; or http://www.iapac.org.
Also note the National AIDS Hotline, run by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, where you can speak to information specialists who can answer questions about AIDS or provide local referrals; call 800/342-AIDS, 24 hours a day every day of the year. [For Spanish-speaking information specialists, call 800/344-SIDA, 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Pacific time every day; for TTY, 800/AIDS-TTY, Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific time.]
For a point-by-point refutation of Duesberg's statements, see The Evidence That HIV Causes AIDS, an 8-page fact sheet prepared and published by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/evidhiv.htm. For details and references, see The Relationship Between the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, also by the NIH; this report, with about 20 pages of text and about 500 references, is at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/publications/hivaids/all.htm. These papers were published in 1995, and would be stronger today since new information (including results from improved treatments) could be included.
