by Alicia M Prater PhD

Created on: February 02, 2009   Last Updated: August 30, 2009

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is the final stage of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. To be diagnosed with AIDS, a person must test positive for HIV, have a low white blood cell count, and suffer from a range of opportunistic infections that take advantage of the immune deficiency caused by HIV. Any questions remaining about this association are due to out dated terminology from before retrovirus research discerned the mechanism of infection and disease. Those who argue against the HIV/AIDS definition are referred to as "AIDS deniers" and are considered the fringe of scientific thought, propagating misinformation and using outdated sources to reinforce their philosophical ideas about the origin of HIV infection. The

International AIDS Society, representing more than 11,000 professionals worldwide that work on HIV, publicly opposes the efforts of AIDS-deniers, which are hindering the effort to educate people about HIV and AIDS, get treatment to those who cannot afford it, and prevent further spread of the disease.

The anti-HIV/AIDS movement blames homosexuals and drug-users for the disease, even though heterosexuals are the largest growing subpopulation of newly diagnosed HIV-positive patients. AIDS denier groups, such as Alive and Well, teach that anal sex, stress, and long-term drug use results in AIDS, and that HIV infection has nothing to do with the disease. The major problem with this idea is that AIDS patients are defined (by the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization) as being HIV-positive with the presence of opportunistic infections that occur after the immune system is destroyed by HIV replication, which is shown by the white blood cell count. The group has gone so far as to sign on popular musicians to their cause, which endangers young people by propagating the idea that HIV prevention is unnecessary and that the anti-retroviral medications are not necessary, or even the cause of the disease themselves. The truth is that these medications are necessary for staving off the fatal immune deficiency resulting from HIV infection. Some argue that they cause illness, but patients were found 20 years ago to succumb to AIDS within 5 years unless treated. Treatment increases the lifespan of HIV positive individuals by 10 years, or more in most cases.

HIV Testing

Another idea that is touted by AIDS-deniers is how HIV infection is determined. The most common testing process tests for anti-HIV antibodies, not the actual

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