European Parliament Conference Rethinks 'AIDS' in Africa

[Guest guest]

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CONFERENCE ON " AIDS IN AFRICA "

INCLUDES DISSIDENT SCIENTISTS, ALTERNATIVE DOCTORS

 

Brussels, Belgium

 

December 8, 2003

 

BRIEF REPORT

Written by Roberto Giraldo and edited by Sam Mhlongo,

Etienne de Harven, Christian Fiala, Marc Deru and Gordon

Stewart. Please note that much of this report was translated

from various languages.

 

 

1. BACKGROUND

 

Marc Deru, a physician and nutritionist from Belgium and a

long-term member of Rethinking AIDS, proposed that the

Environment Commission of the European Parliament convene a

debate on AIDS in Africa between representatives of the

HIV/AIDS mainstream and AIDS dissidents. Paul Lannoye,

coordinator of the Commission, who was aware of AIDS

dissidence through the work of Mark Griffiths, determined

that the AIDS dissidents' arguments were sufficiently

substantive to merit a conference, a determination that was

accepted by the European Parliament. Due to budget

constraints Mr. Lannoye limited the invitations to eleven

speakers. Each speaker was allotted 25 minutes and there were

also four 30-minute sessions allotted to debate. The

conference was attended by approximately 150 people from

several European and African countries.

 

2. GOALS OF THE CONFERENCE

 

In the invitation to speakers Mr. Lannoye stated: " I am

taking the initiative to organize at the European Parliament

in Brussels on the 8th of December a symposium on the

political priorities of sanitary assistance in Africa facing

the AIDS epidemic. The symposium is designated to inform my

Parliamentary colleagues, development NGOs and other actors

who work in this issue. After the controversial position of

the South African President Thabo Mbeki, I thought that it

was necessary to present different points of view on this

issue, in a constructive and non polemic dialogue. "

 

3. PROGRAM

 

3.1. " Welcome, opening of the Conference and introduction. "

Paul LANOOYE, Member of the European Parliament, Belgium.

 

3.2. " AIDS: A development crisis. "

Michel SIDIBE, Director, Country and Regional Support

Department, UNAIDS, Geneva, Switzerland.

 

Sidibe presented an apocalyptic description of the AIDS

epidemic in Africa, emphasizing that the primary solution is

antiretrovirals: " Nearly 27 million are now living with HIV in

Africa), more than 15 million are already dead from

AIDS, and more than 11 million children have lost at least

one parent to the epidemic " ; " In 2005, as the virus spreads

farther and kills more people, it is estimated that US $5

billion will be needed " ; " In South Africa, an estimated 17%

of primary health-care workers are infected with HIV " ; " Why

is Africa denied the medicines widely available in wealthier

countries? " ; " The present supply of condoms in Africa, where

the epidemic is overwhelmingly driven by sexual

transmission, amounts to approximately three condoms per

year for each adult male. About 70,000 Africans - out of

more than 4 million in need - have access to antiretroviral

treatment. Only 1% of HIV-positive, pregnant African women

receive treatment to prevent the spread of the virus to

their unborn children " ; " We can no longer embark on

development or humanitarian assistance that does not

mainstream HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment " ; " Prevention

slows the spread of HIV, and antiretroviral treatment blunts

the impact of AIDS " ; " Sadly, the donor response to the UN

Consolidated Appeals for the region in 2002 and 2003 was

overly focused on meeting the food needs, rather than

addressing the underlying causes of the crisis. " He was

gratified to state that: " The World Food Programme recently

became the ninth Cosponsor of UNAIDS, and WFP Executive James Morris later announced that the organization

is shifting its aid in Southern Africa from providing

traditional emergency food aid to providing HIV/AIDS-related

assistance. "

 

3.3. " External European Parliament policy on AIDS. "

Poul NIELSON, Member of the European Parliament, Coordinator

of the Commission on development and humanitarian aid,

Belgium.

 

Mr. Nielson explained in some detail the external European

Parliament policy on AIDS, which is based on the mainstream

HIV/AIDS paradigm. Information concerning these policies may

be viewed at:

 

http://europa.eu.int/comm/development/body/csp_rsp/csp_en.cfm

http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/cnc/2001/com2001_0096eno1.pdf

http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/cnc/2003/com2003_0093eno1.pdf

 

3.4. " European Parliament position concerning the struggle against

AIDS. "

Didier ROD, Member of the European Parliament, France.

 

Mr. Rod explained, in detail, the European Parliament

position concerning the struggle against AIDS, which is also

based on the mainstream HIV/AIDS paradigm.

 

Both Mr. Nielson and Mr. Rod, members of the European

Parliament, emphasized that the salvation of Africa is

through the use of antiretrovirals as tools for prevention

and treatment.

 

Discussion

 

3.5. " Public Health issues and the role of medicine in South Africa. "

Prof. Sam Mhlongo, MD, Chief Specialist Family Physician & Head of

The Department od Family Medicine at The Medical University of

Southern Africa; Member of the South African Presidential AIDS

Advisory Panel, South Africa.

 

" The aims of this presentation were to remind and educate on

South African history - in particular a focus on the history

of health disabilities and disadvantages suffered by the

African people under Apartheid. It was also the aim to

compare and contrast Apartheid South Africa with present

South Africa - in other words, we now have political

freedoms but we are still far away from economic freedoms

and self-reliance. In the introduction, the international

lie that President Mbeki has stated that HIV is not the

cause of AIDS was nailed - there is no such record. His two

questions however remain unanswered: Why is AIDS in Africa

so vastly different from AIDS in Europe and North America?

Why does AIDS in Europe and North America remain largely

confined to the same groups in which it was initially

described - i.e., intravenous drug users and the gay

community? "

 

" Nutritional AIDS dominates the scene in South Africa today

as indeed it did during Apartheid. In the middle 50's and

60's, 50% of black children were dead before the age of 5.

The causes of death were recorded as: PNEUMONIA, HIGH FEVER,

DEHYDRATION and intractable DIARRHOEA due to protein

deficiency. Today, these clinical features are called AIDS.

Today in South Africa, TB is the leading cause of death and

morbidity amongst Africans, but this is called AIDS. In

conclusion, NUTRITIONAL AIDS is a direct result of Apartheid

in association with capitalist iatrogenesis - hence the

shacks (favelas), lack of sanitation, lack of clean drinking

water, unemployment and destitution. "

 

3.6. " Update on Uganda, an analysis of the predictions and

assumptions about the former epicentre of the AIDS epidemic

- implications for other African countries. "

Christian FIALA, MD, Specialist in Obstetrics and

Gynecology, Member of the South African Presidential AIDS

Advisory Panel, Austria.

 

" We are still subject to news and predictions about a very

high death toll in the current Aids epidemic in Africa that

is beyond imagination. However, the claim of such a high

number of deaths is based on estimates and certain

assumptions. It seems essential to substantiate these claims

before asking for wide ranging interventions. The case of

Uganda provides an important lesson in this respect. A

detailed analysis seems mandatory before engaging in costly

and potentially dangerous interventions in other African

countries like South Africa. The absence of the predicted

Aids catastrophe in Uganda calls the basic assumptions about

the epidemic into question. It is high time to reconsider

the priorities of health policy and foreign aid. "

 

The full article can be viewed on the website of the British

Medical Journal, under rapid responses:

 

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/327/7408/184-a#35837

 

 

3.7. " Tanzania, region Kagera, the AIDS epicentre in Africa

15 years ago: what is the current situation? Two months of

observations on the ground. "

Marc DERU, MD and Nutritionist, Member of the Group for the

Scientific Reappraisal of AIDS, Belgium.

 

" In Tanzania, the population of the Kagera region, epicentre

of AIDS 15 years ago, hasn't ceased growing since then,

i.e., with a 53% increase between 1988 and 2002. The

demographic catastrophe expected as a result of the

'deadliest epidemic in history' did not materialize, on the

contrary. Yet, no real, concrete anti-viral measures were

applied in the region. The only explanations for this lie in

the improvement in the economic conditions and in

development aid. An example of a global approach to

development is found in the NGO, Partage Tanzania. While the

experts, with their statistics, would have one believe that

there exists an extremely serious HIV/AIDS epidemic, no

trace of an epidemic is observable in the field. All that

can be seen is a very poor, under-nourished population

suffering from malaria, endemic immunodeficiency and common

illnesses. The so-called 'HIV' tests are unspecific; the

positive results they may give are misleading and lead to

the false belief in the existence of a viral epidemic.

Common sense and scientific reason dictate their abandonment

as well as a return to the objectivity of clinical diagnosis

and to the treatment of clinically visible illnesses, all of

which have been known for a long time. The facts very

clearly demonstrate that the endemic African

immunodeficiency has nothing to do with a hypothetical

'HIV', but is, rather, the result of malnutrition and its

corollaries. In order to provide effective help to Africa,

the priority should be given to the eradication of the

overly great poverty which exists there. "

 

Discussion

 

3.8. " Problems with isolating HIV. "

Etienne DE HARVEN, MD, Emeritus Professor (Pathology),

University of Toronto, Member of the South African

Presidential AIDS Advisory Panel, France.

 

" Current policies for helping Africa in what has been

described as the AIDS crisis, are entirely based on the

validity of the HIV=AIDS hypothesis. However, this

hypothesis must be completely reappraised because HIV has

never been isolated nor purified, directly from AIDS

patients, in a way that would satisfy the classic

requirements of virology. More specifically: 1) HIV

particles have never been demonstrated by electron

microscopy in the blood stream of AIDS patients allegedly

presenting with high ' viral load '. 2) Alleged HIV

isolations have been reported, based on the identification

of molecular 'markers'. These markers are of physical,

biological or genetic nature. Their HIV specificity could

never be rigorously demonstrated because such demonstration

would have necessitated HIV purification that has never been

achieved. 3) Serological tests for so-called 'HIV

seropositivity', being based on the same non specific

markers, also lack specificity and do not demonstrate any

HIV infectious process. 4) Public credulity is abused by the

constant publication of HIV images that all derive from

electron microscopy of laboratory cell cultures, and never

derive directly from AIDS patients. In view of these major

uncertainties concerning HIV isolation directly from AIDS

patients, priorities should be drastically revised.

Suspending all HIV sero-testing, and suspending

administration of anti-retroviral toxic medications should

make budgets available to combat malnutrition, extend

drinking water distribution, and improve hygiene and

sanitation for the African people. "

 

During his presentation de Harven acknowledged several times

that the Perth Group, led by Eleni Papadopulos-Eleopulos,

was the very first to question the isolation of HIV.

 

3.9. " The essentials for HIV/AIDS prevention are: preventing

medical transmission, warning about anal intercourse, and

redirecting research. "

Stuart BRODY, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, University of

Tubingen, Germany.

 

Dr. Brody is a member of the David Gisselquist group that

has published several papers during the last year

questioning sexual and vertical transmission of HIV/AIDS in

Africa. The group has suggested that medical or iatrogenic

transmission through unclean injections in Africa may be the

explanation for " HIV infections " in the continent. With the

intent of censoring their views, UNAIDS and WHO held a

meeting with these researchers in March, 2003, and released

a declaration stating: " An expert group has reaffirmed that

unsafe sexual practices are responsible for the vast

majority of HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa, and that

safer sex promotion must remain the primary feature of

prevention programmes in the region. "

 

We had the opportunity to congratulate Dr. Brody for the

courage of his group in criticizing the sexual and vertical

transmission of HIV/AIDS. We also explained to him that the

only thing that is being " transmitted " from person to person

in Africa is the consequence of decades and decades of

poverty.

 

3.10. " Access to treatments in Africa: choosing between

necessity and constraints. "

Prof. Nathan CLUMECK, MD, Director, Department of Infectious

Diseases, CHU Saint-Pierre (ULB), Belgium.

 

It was Dr. Clumeck who described, in March 19, 1983 (Lancet)

and February 23, 1984 (NEJM), the clinical manifestations

and laboratory findings of the very first 23 black Africans

who were diagnosed with AIDS in Brussels. In spite of

acknowledging the severe toxicity of antiretrovirals, he

promotes their use for the treatment and prevention of AIDS

in Africa: " With the generalization in 1995 of the triple

antiretroviral therapy, the prognosis and the natural

history of HIV infection has changed...Currently 4 to 5

million Africans desperately need antiretroviral treatment,

however, only 50 to 60,000 are getting it. " Clumeck is

content with the efforts regarding the HIV/AIDS crisis in

Africa promoted by the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda

Gates Foundation, and the Clinton Foundation, as well as

with the aid from charismatic leaders like Nelson Mandela.

He noted Botswana as an example to be followed, since there,

" thanks to the efforts of the Gates and Merck Foundations,

everybody has access to free antiretroviral treatment. "

 

Discussion

 

3.11. " Treating and preventing AIDS: basic principles for an

effective, nontoxic and inexpensive alternative. "

Roberto GIRALDO, MD, specialist in internal medicine, infectious and

tropical diseases, USA. Member of the South African Presidential AIDS

Advisory Panel.

 

" The core of this presentation is to explain the scientific

bases for the use of food supplements, antioxidants, and

immune stimulants as a non toxic, effective, and inexpensive

alternative for the treatment and prevention of AIDS

everywhere. Nutritional deficiencies and oxidative stress

play a major role in the pathogenesis of AIDS. Nutritional

supplements and antioxidants prevent the progression of

'HIV-positive' individuals into the clinical manifestations

of AIDS; prevent the death of patients who already have the

clinical manifestations of AIDS; and prevent the

seroconversion of HIV-negative individuals, of all ages,

into 'HIV- positive.' This last means that what is known as

'transmission of HIV/AIDS' can also be effectively prevented

by the use of food supplements and antioxidants. If we

really want to solve the issue of AIDS in Africa, it is

mandatory that we first solve poverty and its consequences. "

Details on these views may be seen at:

 

http://www.robertogiraldo.com/eng/papers/TreatingAndPreventingAIDS.htm

l

 

http://www.robertogiraldo.com/eng/papers/NutritionalTherapy_SADC_2003.

html

 

Giraldo proposed to Dr. Michel Sidibe, the UNAIDS

representative at the European Parliament conference, to

have an open debate with AIDS dissidents upon the causes and

solutions for AIDS at the Bangkok International AIDS

Conference in July 2004. Dr. Sidibe gave Giraldo his word

that this debate would be programmed.

 

3.12. " The struggle against AIDS in Africa: Research contribution. "

Luc MONTAGNIER, President of the International Foundation

for the Research and Prevention of AIDS, France.

 

He stated: " Thanks to scientific research the virus that

causes AIDS was isolated. " He then explained what is

purported to be the " pathogenesis of the HIV infection, " and

presented several clues concerning " HIV/AIDS vaccine

possibilities. " He placed a strong emphasis on oxidative

stress as being the cause of apoptosis of CD4 cells. He also

acknowledged that even " HIV-negative " Africans have

oxidative stress due to malnutrition. He proposed the use of

antioxidants and immune stimulants together with three

antiretrovirals for the prevention and treatment of

" HIV/AIDS. " He showed several computer-generated, colorized

pictures of " HIV " and of " the pathogenesis of

HIV-infection. "

 

Discussion

 

3.13. Conclusions

Paul LANNOYE, Belgium.

 

NOTE: Some of the other AIDS dissident researchers and

activists who attended the conference and participated

actively during the discussions were: Claus Koehnlein, MD Kiel,

Germany), who also distributed to the attendees his

recent paper, co-authored with Peter Duesberg and David

Rasnick, " The chemical bases of the various AIDS epidemics:

recreational drugs, anti-viral chemotherapy and

malnutrition " ; Gordon Stewart, MD (Glasgow, Great Britain),

who asked Luc Montagnier " whether, in the light of the

report from de Harven, he was sure that they had indeed

'Isolated' a retrovirus named by them as LAV-BRU from a

co-culture of a lymph gland from a patient in Paris in 1983

by standard virological techniques. My recollection is that

he responded to my question but did not answer it. "

 

Also present were: Juliane Sacher, MD (Germany); Neville Hodgkinson,

journalist (England); Djamel Tahi, writer (France); James Whitehead,

NGO activist (England); Mark Griffiths, NGO activist (France).

 

Shabnam Merchant and Joanna Choy, student documentary

filmmakers from New York City, also attended the conference.

 

4. FOLLOW UP

 

Mr. Lannoye and his assistant, Ms. Francoise Dupont, stated

during the preparation stage of the conference: " In order to

extend the awareness of the public about this debate, we

would like to publish the proceedings of the conference. "

 

After the Conference Mr. Lannoye wrote to us: " I wanted to

thank you very much for your participation at the conference

'AIDS in Africa' that took place on December 8th in the

European Parliament. Indeed, everyone agrees that the

conference was a success: beyond the fact that the audience

was very numerous, the quality of the interventions we

listened to was very high and the debate, that we hoped

would be contentious, allowed for every position to be

expressed in a relatively civil atmosphere. My objective now

is to ensure that there is a follow up of this conference.

Apart from the strictly political follow up, I want to

publish the extensive proceedings of the conference as well

as the debate, which largely contributed to a better

understanding of the question. The publication should allow

for the debate to continue outside the European Parliament. "

 

South African Presidential AIDS Advisory Panel Experiments:

At the meeting Professor Sam Mhlongo made an appeal to the

chairman that he consider some way of finding some money to

help The Panel Experiments. Professor Mhlongo has confirmed

that Mr. Lannoye has followed this up and has asked him to

summarize the ten experiments and the budget for them.

Professor Mhlongo is doing so and if this does come off, the

money President Thabo Mbeki has allocated to the experiments

can be diverted to a " Poverty Relief Programme " shortly

after the general election in South Africa in 2004.