The House That AIDS Built

July 24, 2005

" Zeus " <info

Sun, 24 Jul 2005 15:21:38 +0100

(This horrendous story was sent out before but with so many new

rs, sending again....Zeus)

The House That AIDS Built

Liam Scheff

This article deals with pharmaceutical abuse in a children's home in

NYC. This is a most controversial story – however, it's entirely based

in fact and good reporting. I hope you'll find it as compelling and

shocking as I did investigating it.

This piece was investigated and written in summer / winter 2003 and

published in January 2004.

Liam Scheff. E-mail : liamscheff

Introduction:

In New York's Washington Heights is a 4-story brick building called

Incarnation Children's Center (ICC). This former convent houses a

revolving stable of children who've been removed from their own homes

by the Agency for Child Services. These children are black, Hispanic

and poor. Many of their mothers had a history of drug abuse and have

died. Once taken into ICC, the children become subjects of drug trials

sponsored by NIAID (National Institute of Allergies and Infectious

Disease, a division of the NIH), NICHD (the National Institute of

Child Health and Human Development) in conjunction with some of the

world's largest pharmaceutical companies – GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer,

Genentech, Chiron/Biocine and others.

The drugs being given to the children are toxic – they're known to

cause genetic mutation, organ failure, bone marrow death, bodily

deformations, brain damage and fatal skin disorders. If the children

refuse the drugs, they're held down and have them force fed. If the

children continue to resist, they're taken to Columbia Presbyterian

hospital where a surgeon puts a plastic tube through their abdominal

wall into their stomachs. From then on, the drugs are injected

directly into their intestines.

In 2003, two children, ages 6 and 12, had debilitating strokes due to

drug toxicities. The 6-year-old went blind. They both died shortly

after. Another 14-year old died recently. An 8-year-old boy had two

plastic surgeries to remove large, fatty, drug-induced lumps from his

neck.

This isn't science fiction. This is AIDS research. The children at ICC

were born to mothers who tested HIV positive, or who themselves tested

positive. However, neither parents nor children were told a crucial

fact -- HIV tests are extremely inaccurate.(1,2) The HIV test

cross-reacts with nearly seventy commonly-occurring conditions, giving

false positive results. These conditions include common colds, herpes,

hepatitis, tuberculosis, drug abuse, inoculations and most

troublingly, current and prior pregnancy.(3,4,5) This is a double

inaccuracy, because the factors that cause false positives in pregnant

mothers can be passed to their children – who are given the same false

diagnosis.

Most of us have never heard this before. It's undoubtedly the biggest

secret in medicine. However, it's well known among HIV researchers

that HIV tests are extremely inaccurate – but the researchers don't

tell the doctors, and they certainly don't tell the children at ICC,

who serve as test animals for the next generation of AIDS drugs. ICC

is run by Columbia University's Presbyterian Hospital in affiliation

with Catholic Home Charities through the Archdiocese of New York.

Sean and Dana Newberg are two children from ICC. Their mother used

drugs and was unable to care for them properly, so they were raised in

foster care, until their great-aunt Mona adopted them. Mona Newberg is

a teacher in the New York Public Schools, and has her Master's degree

in Education. She adopted the children when Sean was three and Dana

was six. She was already raising their older brother, who was never

given an HIV test or AIDS drugs. He's now grown, healthy and serving

in the Navy.

Their mother used heroin and crack cocaine since she was a teenager.

She was given an HIV test in the late 80s and tested positive. " She

had three children before Sean and Dana, " said Mona. " Nobody told us

that the test cross-reacted with drug abuse, let alone pregnancy. It's

not a valid test. "

Because of the test result, the doctors at Columbia Presbyterian put

Sean on AZT monotherapy when he was 5 months old. Use of AZT

monotherapy is now considered malpractice because it can cause

debilitating, fatal illness including fatal anemia.

Dana spent her first four years at Hale House, a NY orphanage for

children whose parents abused drugs. Hale house was participating in

an AZT drug trial when Dana was there. " We can't get the records from

Hale House, so I don't know what happened there, " Mona said. " I never

gave Dana the drugs after I got her, but I know she arrived with a

filled prescription for AZT. "

Sean has been on life support twice as a result of the AIDS drug

Nevirapine. Dana was put on AIDS drugs in 2002, even though she wasn't

sick. Since being put on the drugs, Dana has developed cancer.

Both children have been taken into ICC and kept there against their

will and against Mona's wishes for one reason – Mona has questioned

the safety of the AIDS drugs AZT, Nevirapine and Kaletra and stopped

giving the drugs when they made the children ill. In the summer and

fall of 2003, I visited Mona, Sean, Dana and ICC. I spoke with Mona

about her experience and her decision. (The names of Sean, Mona and

Dana are aliases which they requested to protect their identities, but

their stories are accurate and unaltered).

Liam Scheff: What led you to question the safety of the drugs?

Mona: When I first got Sean at three years old, he was a vegetable.

He'd never eaten solid food. He had a feeding tube that went through

his nose into his stomach. AIDS medications change the taste buds.

AZT, especially, makes it so kids can't stand the taste of food and

won't eat. The nurses fed Sean AZT, Bactrim and six cans of Pediasure

a day through this tube, which stayed in his stomach for over two

years. Nobody ever bothered to change it.

When I got Sean, I continued to give him the drugs as prescribed for

about 5 months. But after each spoonful, he got weaker. I thought,

wait a minute – this stuff is supposed to be making him better, why is

he getting worse?

Sean had night sweats and fevers 24 hours a day. He had no energy. He

couldn't play. He couldn't get up for ten minutes without lying down.

Nurses came regularly to give him blood infusions to manage the AZT

anemia. After the infusions, he'd be nearly comatose for two days. He

was like a limp doll.

Every time I gave Sean the drugs, he got weaker and sicker. I didn't

know what to do but I didn't want him to die. So I stopped everything

that appeared to be killing him. I stopped the AZT. I stopped the

Bactrim. I stopped the nurse from coming to give the infusions.

It wasn't immediate, but Sean started to improve. His fevers subsided.

He could eat. He gained weight. Within a couple months, he was

actually running and playing with the other children. Sean was born

with a chronic lung condition because of his mother's drug use, but

even his lungs improved. I couldn't believe it. When Sean was born,

the doctors told his mother that he was going to die. They told her to

buy a coffin for him. He barely survived. When I took him off the

drugs, he was healthy for the first time in his life.

I was so happy, I told everyone - including the doctors and nurses -

what had happened. I didn't know not to. When the hospital found out I

wasn't giving him the drugs, they contacted Agency for Child Services

(ACS). An ACS worker came to my door, and told me I had to register

the kids with an infectious disease doctor – Dr. Howard at Beth

Israel. I was taking Sean and Dana to a Naturopathic MD, and they were

both healthy and strong. I told them that we had a doctor. They said,

" Too bad, you have to see Dr. Howard now. "

Howard was terrible for the children. He ignored the only thing that

actually bothered Sean – his lung condition, and insisted that he go

on a new drug for HIV. He said, " There's a new miracle drug. It just

came on the market. I guarantee if you give it to Sean, you'll watch

the miracle happen " .

LS: What was the miracle drug?

Mona: Nevirapine. Howard put Sean on Nevirapine. Sean's health

immediately deteriorated. He got sicker, his lungs congested, he lost

weight, his cheekbones sunk, his liver and spleen started to go. Six

months after he went on Nevirapine, he had complete organ failure. He

was on life support for two weeks at Beth Israel Hospital. Then I did

some research on Nevirapine, and found out that it caused organ

failure and death. When Sean finally got out of the hospital, Howard

discharged him on hospice care. Six months earlier, he was healthy.

Now they were telling me to prepare for his death.

Once I got him home, I stopped giving Sean the Nevirapine, and he was

able to eat again. He started to gain some weight back. Sean was so

weak after being on life support, with all those tubes in him. He'd

gotten so thin. But he finally started to recover. When I took Sean to

Dr. Howard, he was always surprised to see that Sean was improving.

Howard would ask me, " Are you sure you're giving him the medication,

Mrs. Newberg? "

LS: In times of improvement, he suspected that you weren't giving Sean

the Nevirapine?

Mona: Right. He only worried when Sean wasn't sick! AIDS doctors

always think there's something wrong if you're not dying.

After that Howard started keeping Sean in the hospital for longer

periods of time for the lung problems we used to treat at home. Howard

kept Sean for 25 days and fed Sean the Nevirapine himself. Sean ended

up back in intensive care with organ failure. He was placed on life

support for two weeks. He got a hospital staph infection because

Howard wouldn't let him leave. He was eight years old, and just wanted

to come home.

A month later, the hospital finally discharged him. Then ACS called me

for a meeting. The ACS worker told me I should put Sean into

Incarnation Children's Center until he was stronger. They told me that

ICC was this wonderful place. They said in four months he'd be strong

enough to come back home. ICC took Sean off the Nevirapine and put him

on Viracept, Epivir, Zerit and Bactrim. Sean improved off the

Nevirapine, but the new drugs definitely made him sick – just not as

badly. He had trouble walking, and his arms and legs got even thinner.

I visited Sean at ICC for five months. Then, when I wanted to bring

him home, they said, " We don't recommend that Sean leave here. You

have a reputation for not giving meds. "

LS: ICC refused to let Sean come home?

Mona: Right. They kept him for a year and a half. I had to get a

lawyer to get him out.

LS: What was it like for Sean at ICC?

Mona: There were children in wheelchairs, on crutches, with

deformations. There were AZT babies. Their heads have a different

shape, with the eyes spaced wide and sunken in. The drugs cause severe

developmental problems. Many children have misshapen, weak limbs and

distended bellies. Many are learning disabled. The kids at ICC are

constantly medicated with all kinds of drugs. When children refuse the

drugs the nurses hold them down and force feed them. Sean wanted to

get the hell out of there.

During my visits I noticed that many children at ICC were walking

around with tubes hanging from their undershirts, and I wondered what

they were. Then one day, I saw the nurse come in with a whole tray of

medications and syringes, and I watched her inject this medication

into the tubes coming out of their stomachs. I couldn't believe it. I

thought, my god, what's going on here?

Every child who had a stomach tube took their medication that way,

from the three-year-olds to the teenagers. It horrified me. I couldn't

understand it. When I found out what was being done, I thought, surely

this must be illegal. There's no way they could be doing this legally.

I expressed my concerns to Sean's ACS case worker. I said, " Do you

know what they're doing to those kids in there? This reminds me of

Nazi Germany. " He said, " They're doing wonderful things for these

children. " I called Albany, the state capital, and talked to Dan Tietz

at the New York State Department of Health's AIDS Institute. He said,

" What are we going to do if these little children refuse to take the

medication? How are we going to save their lives if we don't perform

this operation? "

LS: Who performs this operation?

Mona: The children are sent to Columbia-Presbyterian for the

operation. The surgeons there do it.

I was at ICC one day, and saw a fourteen-year old boy named Daniel

refusing the pills. I actually saw him run from the nurse when she

came to give him his medication. He said, " The medication makes me

sick and I don't want to take it. " His aunt was there, and she said,

" The medication makes him very ill. "

The ACS case worker, Wendy Wack, came in, and said to the aunt very

clearly, " Daniel has refused to take his medication. We've changed it

three times and he's still refusing. Now, the only thing left is the

operation. " She said, " If you refuse the operation, we'll call Agency

for Child Welfare – and take Daniel away from you. " His aunt signed,

and they took Daniel away. When he came back a few weeks later, he had

a tube in his stomach.

LS: Does Sean have the tube?

Mona: No. He doesn't want that tube in his stomach. He's been there

long enough to know you get the tube if you say no to the medication.

He's terrified, so he never refuses the drugs.

The children at ICC who don't have the tubes tend to be a whole lot

healthier and live a whole lot longer than the ones with the tubes.

I was talking to a boy named Amir. He's 6. His stomach was so swollen.

He said, " My stomach is swollen, it got big. " He said, " They cut me, "

and he showed a little cut on his side. He's had a tube for a long

time. Amir was an AZT baby. His face has that wider shape. He also has

lypodystrophy from the drugs. He has huge fat lumps on his back and

neck. They've taken him away for surgery twice but the lumps grow back.

Sean's little friend Jesus just died. He was 12. He had a tube. He had

a stroke from the drugs. There was a little girl, Mia. She had a tube.

She had a stroke and went blind. She died recently too. Carrie, a

14-year-old girl died last year. She had a tube. There's a

three-year-old, Patricia. She's had a tube since she arrived. She's

going home with it in her. I don't think she's going to make it.

I used to talk with the child care workers about the drugs. I got to

know all of them and they were all very friendly with me. I said,

" These drugs are killing the children. " They said, " We know. "

LS: They agreed with you?

Mona: Yes, but what can they do, they just take care of the kids. The

doctors and nurses give the medication. Telling the doctors that the

drugs make you sick doesn't do anything. They just stare at you

blankly. They don't care. Compliance is the main goal of ICC. All the

kids in ICC come from families who've failed to comply with the drug

regimen.

LS: ICC is part of a national program running AIDS drug trials. Have

you ever signed a waiver permitting them to use your children in a

drug trial?

Mona: No, never. But ACS has signed for me when I didn't want to give

Sean drugs. When I said, " No, " the ACS case worker grabbed the form

and said, " I'll sign it. You don't need to. " They're always switching

medications – they never ask me if it's okay.

Right now, most of the kids at ICC are on Kaletra. Kaletra was on

fast-track approval. It was released before testing was complete. But

they do know something about Kaletra. It causes cancer. It says on the

label, that this drug causes cancer in test animals.

I fought for a year to get Sean home. ICC wanted to put him in a

foster home where someone would be paid to feed him the drugs every

day. I got a lawyer and we finally got Sean out of there. My lawyer

was able to get Sean's ICC medical records. He told me, " Sean was

tortured at Incarnation. He was tortured. "

Photos from ICC

Drugs used in clinical trials conducted at ICC, Columbia Presbyterian

and at hundreds of participating hospitals in pediatric AIDS clinics

nationwide:

Drug

Drug Company

Known Toxicities

(manufacturer's label)

Therapeutic Value (manufacturer's label)

Retrovir

(AZT)

GlaxoSmithKline

" Retrovir (AZT) has been associated with hematologic toxicity [blood

toxicity], including neutropenia [anemia] and severe anemia... "

" Prolonged use of Retrovir has been associated with symptomatic

myopathy [muscle wasting]. "

" Lactic acidosis and severe hepatomegaly [liver swelling] with

steatosis [fat degeneration], including fatal cases, have been

reported with the use of nucleoside analogues [Retrovir, Epivir,

Zerit] alone or in combination... "

" Retrovir is not a cure for HIV infection. "

" The long-term effects of Retrovir are unknown at this time. "

" The long-term consequences of in utero and infant exposure to

Retrovir are unknown, including the possible risk of cancer. "

Epivir

(3TC,

Lamivudine)

GlaxoSmithKline

(see above)

" Parents or guardians should be advised to monitor pediatric patients

for signs and symptoms of pancreatitis. "

" EPIVIR is not a cure for HIV infection. "

" Patients should be advised that the long-term effects of EPIVIR are

unknown at this time. "

Zerit

(Stavudine)

BristolMeyersSquibb

(see above)

" Fatal lactic acidosis has been reported in pregnant women who

received the combination of Didanosine and Stavudine with other

antiretroviral agents. "

" Zerit will not cure your HIV infection "

" There is limited information on the long-term use of Zerit "

Viramune

(Nevirapine)

Boeringer-Ingelheim

" Patients should be informed of: the possibility of severe liver

disease or skin reactions associated with Viramune that may result in

death. "

" Severe, life-threatening and in some cases fatal hepatoxicity [liver

damage], including hepatic necrosis [liver death] and hepatic failure,

has been reported in patients treated with Viramune. "

" Severe, life-threatening skin reactions, including fatal cases…have

included cases of Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis

[skin death]… "

" Viramune is not a cure for HIV-1 infection. "

Ritonavi

(Norvir)

Abbott Laboratories

" Redistribution/accumulation of body fat including central obesity,

dorsocervical fat enlargement (buffalo hump), peripheral wasting,

breast enlargement, " " Lipid Disorders, "

" Substantial increases in the concentration of total triglycerides and

cholesterol. "

" Norvir is not a cure for HIV infection "

Kaletra

(Ritonavir +

Lopinavir)

Abbott Laboratories

(see above)

" Long term carcinogenicity studies of Kaletra in animal systems have

not been completed. "

" In male mice…there is a dose dependent increase in the incidence of

both adenomas and carcinomas [malignant tumors] in the liver. "

" Kaletra is not a cure for HIV infection. "

" The long-term effects of Kaletra are not known at this time. "

Photos of an infant with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, a blistering,

peeling, potentially fatal skin rash. It is one of the known

side-effects of the AIDS drug Nevirapine. Nevirapine is one of the

primary drugs being readied for distribution in Africa.

Eight of over 200 current or recent drug studies conducted at ICC

and Columbia Presbyterian (and 800 nationally):

http://www.icc-pedsaids.org/page4.htm www.clinicaltrials.gov

* The Effect of Anti-HIV Treatment on Body Characteristics of

HIV-Infected Children

* Conditions: HIV Infections; HIV Wasting Syndrome; Lipodystrophy

* Sponsors: NIAID and NICHD

* The Effects of Anti-HIV Therapy on the Immune System of

HIV-Positive Children

* Sponsors: NIAID and NICHD

* Comparison of Stavudine Used Alone or in Combination with

Didanosine in HIV-Infected Children

* Sponsor: NIAID

* HIV Levels in Cerebrospinal Fluid and Brain Function in Patients

Receiving Anti-HIV Drugs

* Sponsors: NIAID, NINDS (Nat. Inst. Neurological Disorders and

Strokes), NARC (Neurologic AIDS Reseach Consortium)

* A Study of Lopinavir/Ritonavir in Infants with HIV

* Sponsors: NIAD, NICHD

* A Study to Compare Different Drugs Used to Prevent Serious

Bacterial Infections in HIV-Positive Children

* Sponsors: NIAID, Pfizer, Glaxo

* The Safety and Effectiveness of Valacyclovir HCI in the

Treatment of Herpes Simplex or Varicella/Zoster Infections in HIV-1

Infected Children

* Sponsors: NIAID, Glaxo

* The Safety and Effectiveness of Treating Advanced AIDS Patients

between the Ages 4 and 22 with Seven Drugs, Some at Higher than Usual

Doses

* Sponsor: NIAID, NICHD

The Doctor at ICC

To confirm Mona's story, I spoke with Dr. Katherine Painter, the

medical director of ICC. I asked her about AIDS drugs, clinical trials

and the stomach surgery for children who can't or won't take the

drugs. Dr. Painter told me that the greatest challenge facing children

at ICC isn't illness, but compliance with their drug regimen. She also

confirmed that there are " loads and loads of studies being done on

children. "

Liam Scheff: What does ICC do?

Dr. Katherine Painter (Medical Director of Incarnation Children's

Center): ICC deals with children who are medically complex but not

acutely sick, and whose medical care provides more challenges than

most. We're having an increase in referrals over the last years to

deal with medication adherence. There are a fair number of children

whose HIV illness may be well controlled but whose families are

experiencing difficulty complying with the child's medication regimen.

What we're asking of our families and patients in terms of adherence

is something beyond 100% - All of their medicines all the time,

whether they have them on-hand or not, whether the medication makes

them sick, or whether they're sick with a concurrent illness.

ICC is affiliated with Columbia Presbyterian. We work as a magnet for

about six New York hospitals – Columbia Presbyterian, Harlem Hospital,

New York Hospital, St. Luke's/Roosevelt, King's County Brooklyn and

SUNY. We get referrals from outpatient HIV clinics in the city, in the

five boroughs and in Westchester along the island. Most clinics are

set up in medical centers.

LS: Does ICC participate in clinical drugs trials?

Painter: Many of the clinics that refer to us are participating in

clinical drug trials. Children participating in a drug trial undergo

monitoring, testing, and supply of an experimental drug through their

outpatient clinic and we maintain that treatment here.

LS: When I search the Government Clinical Trial database, I find loads

and loads of studies being done on children.

Painter: There are loads and loads of studies being done on children.

LS: I know that the medications are hard to take and have side

effects. How do you get a child to take the drugs?

Painter: One of the issues with children is that they can't swallow

large pills. Many of the meds are horse pill size and come in

multiple pills. The alternative liquid or powder formulations are not

very palatable. They have a significant, lingering, bitter taste. We

mix them with chocolate syrup. Some children can take this, others

can't. For some cases, it's better administered through a Gastric tube.

LS: Is that the nose or stomach tube?

Painter: That's the stomach tube. The nose tube is a Naso-Gastric

tube. It's appropriate for short term interventions. It has to be

changed weekly from one side of the nose to the other to minimize

sinus infection. You have to listen each time you push the medication

or supplementation through the tube to make sure that the air bubbles

you're hearing are in the stomach, and not in the lungs, because it

can be displaced.

LS: What's a Gastric tube?

Painter: A Gastric tube (G-tube) goes through a small opening into the

stomach.

LS: How do you put in a G-tube?

Painter: A surgeon does that. It's done in the operating room, under

anesthesia. The surgeon passes an endoscopy tube [a fiber-optic camera

down the throat] which allows him to see the inside of the stomach.

Then from the outside, the surgeon places the tube surgically –

LS: He cuts through the abdomen?

Painter: Well, right, yeah, you're actually cutting through the skin,

through the abdominal wall musculature, and then through the stomach.

It creates a very small hole, about a quarter inch. It takes several

weeks to heal well, so it's a bit tender. A small tube is placed

through the opening or stoma. From the outside you can connect a

syringe or feeding tube. The opening can be closed when not in use [by

a plastic seal], which extends less than half and inch from the

stomach. Some types are called buttons.

On the inside of the stomach is a device that holds the tube in place

called a balloon, which is filled with water to a size that can't be

pulled back through the stoma.

LS: When is this surgery deemed necessary or appropriate?

Painter: When other interventions to help a child take a medicine by

mouth have failed.

G-tube or PEG (Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastronomy) Tubes. G-tube Surgery.

The brochure for ICC reads – " a sanctuary of love, a home-like

nurturing residence… "

Side Story:

Read The Nurse's Story: A pediatric nurse from ICC gives her account

of successfully treating HIV positive children without AIDS Drugs.

Dana

In 2002, just as Mona got Sean back from ICC, the doctors decided that

Dana (Sean's sister) should be put on AIDS drugs, even though she

wasn't ill.

Mona: Dana wasn't sick. She'd never had a major illness. The doctors

said her Tcells were low, so he put her on Viracept, Epivir, Zerit,

and Bactrim.

LS: What was her reaction to the drugs?

Mona: She was throwing up constantly. Over the next two months, she

started complaining of back and head pain, which got so bad I had to

take her to the emergency room.

Beth Israel diagnosed it as Langerhans Syndrome, which is a childhood

disease similar to cancer. Langerhans affects bone. It damaged one of

her vertebrae. It can be treated with chemotherapy, but it's a low

level dose, much lower than a standard cancer treatment.

Beth Israel knew about Dana's HIV status. They told me, " We're going

to ship her over to Presbyterian for a new diagnosis. Because of her

HIV status, there may be a possibility that this is AIDS. "

So they sent her to Presbyterian, where the doctor wrote in her

records – " Langerhans Syndrome " but added, " May be associated with

HIV. " Langerhans Syndrome is not an AIDS-defining illness. There is no

entry anywhere in the medical record of an association between

Langerhans and HIV. But Presbyterian called it AIDS and gave her a

much stronger chemotherapy appropriate for an adult cancer. Then they

switched her medication to Kaletra.

LS: Kaletra – that's the fast-track approved drug that causes cancer?

Mona: Right. It states clearly in the manufacturers insert that

Ritonavir – one of the ingredients in Kaletra – causes cancer in test

animals, and that testing isn't complete in humans. How do you give a

child with cancer a drug that causes cancer?

The Kaletra made her heave and throw up. They were afraid that she'd

become crippled if her back shifted in any way. So they put a brace on

her to keep her still, and kept her on the drug. They gave her three

months of chemotherapy, and the cancer was gone. They couldn't find a

trace of it. But they gave her another 3 months of chemotherapy anyway.

Right after her diagnosis in January (2003), Presbyterian called ACS

and said I was putting Dana in jeopardy by not giving her the drugs.

ACS took Dana out of our home and put her into ICC.

We went to court to get her back. Dana's doctor at Presbyterian had to

testify. When she was questioned under oath, she listed all the deadly

side effects of the drugs - all of them. She knew exactly what all of

them did. The judge asked her how she got the kids to take the drugs.

And she said " We're like Nazis when it comes to compliance. " Those

were her words.

The Department of Health came to ICC three weeks ago for an

inspection. They said that the children could no longer be restrained

when they didn't want to take the drugs. They said that the children

didn't have to take the drugs if they didn't want to; they have a

legal right to refuse medications. But the social workers and doctors

told the children, " Sure you can refuse, but if you do there will be

consequences. "

LS: What are the consequences?

Mona: The surgery.

Today Dana remains at ICC. She is 16. ACS is trying to put her in a

foster home where she'll live with a stranger who's paid to give her

the drugs. Mona is trying to bring her home. In August 2003, The

Make-a-Wish foundation gave Dana the gift of a Disney Cruise to

Bermuda. ACS told Dana that she was not allowed to leave the country,

and cancelled her trip.

Sean's blood is tested regularly to make sure that he's taking the

drugs. He's been on AIDS drugs all his life. He weighs 51 pounds and

is about 4 feet tall. Sean is now 13 years old.

During our interview, Dr. Painter of Incarnation Children's Center

told me that there was some good news about HIV. She said, " HIV is no

longer a death sentence, it's a chronic, manageable condition, " – as

long as you take the drugs. But Jacklyn Herger (see link below to –

" The Nurse's Story " – part of complete story) and Mona Newberg both

successfully treated pediatric AIDS without AIDS drugs. In fact, their

children were most sick when the drugs were used. Is their experience

valid? Is it reproducible? According to Incarnation Children's Center,

the answer is " Yes. "

From ICC's published history: " Early in the [AIDS] epidemic, HIV

disease of childhood was considered to be a downhill course leading to

death. But in the late 1980's, before AZT was available, many very ill

children admitted to ICC got dramatically better with proper nurturing

and high quality medical and nursing care. "

ICC successfully treated pediatric AIDS without toxic AIDS drugs. This

startling revelation brings to mind a number of questions: Are the

drugs necessary? Why are we using them if there are better options? And…

What Do We Really Know About HIV?

In July 2003, the esteemed science journal Nature Medicine published

an article called " HIV-1 Pathogenesis " by AIDS researcher Mario

Stevenson of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The

article was part of its " 20 years of AIDS science " special edition.(6)

From the introduction:

" Despite considerable advances in HIV science in the past 20

years, the reason why HIV-1 infection is pathogenic is still

debated... considerable efforts have gone into identifying the

mechanisms by which HIV-1 causes disease, and two major hypotheses

have been forwarded. "

According to Stevenson, twenty years and 118 billion dollars in AIDS

research ( " considerable efforts " ), have given no reliable proof as to

how HIV might cause any disease ( " the mechanisms " by which HIV is

presumed to be " pathogenic " ). While it is always claimed that HIV is

proven to cause illness, Stevenson spends the bulk of his review

article pouring over what he describes as two " major hypotheses " that

try to describe how HIV might work

In science, a " hypothesis " is an idea or proposal about how something

might work. A hypothesis isn't a fact, it's a guess that a scientist

tries to prove is accurate and true. If a hypothesis fails, it's

discarded, so that new, better, more accurate ideas can be heard.

In the article Stevenson explains that we don't know how HIV might

damage, let alone kill cells, " …it is debatable whether lymphocyte

[white blood cell] damage is due to the direct killing of infected

cells... " and we don't have any idea how HIV affects immunity,

" …processes contributing to the immune activation state in HIV-1

infection are not well understood... " The HIV hypothesis states that

HIV kills T-Cells, but Stevenson tells us bluntly that this has never

been proven.

Stevenson concludes the paper by returning to the main theme – the

vast unknowns in HIV science:

" There is a general misconception that more is known about HIV-1

than about any other virus and that all of the important issues

regarding HIV-1 biology and pathogenesis have been resolved. On the

contrary, what we know represents only a thin veneer on the surface of

what needs to be known. "

Stevenson tells us that after 20 years of research into the various

HIV hypotheses, we know " a thin veneer, " about HIV's " biology and

pathogenesis, " that is, what HIV might look like, how it might work,

and, as such, how - and therefore if - it causes illness. We're told

that it does, but according to Stevenson and " Nature Medicine, " , we

don't have proof

By the standard of " First do no harm " if we don't know how a molecule

works (HIV or any other), then it is unethical to treat any presumed

HIV positive person with extraordinarily toxic, and often fatal

pharmaceuticals, which the manufacturers themselves admit, do not cure

AIDS.

In addition to their long list of serious and potentially fatal

side-effects, all AIDS drugs also list this printed warning:

" This drug will not cure your HIV infection…Patients receiving

antiretroviral therapy may continue to experience opportunistic

infections and other complications of HIV disease…Patients should be

advised that the long-term effects are unknown at this time. "

What Do HIV Tests Measure?

When you take an HIV test, your blood isn't tested for a virus, it's

tested for your body's natural antibody response to the proteins in

the HIV test. These proteins are supposed to stand in for HIV.

In order for an antibody test to be clinically meaningful and

accurate, its proteins must belong to a specific virus or particle.

This is not the case with the proteins in the HIV test. These

proteins, which are grown in artificially-stimulated cell cultures,

have been accurately analyzed in the lab, and they don't belong to any

specific virus or particle.(16)

In fact, these proteins occur commonly in both sick and healthy

people. What HIV tests are known to measure is not the presence of a

virus, but is instead, your body's natural " antibody " response to

commonly-occurring proteins.

What does HIV-Positive mean?

The HIV test measures " antibody " response to these commonly-occurring

proteins. We produce " antibodies " to all the foreign material we

encounter - germs, yeast, fungi, bacteria, pollutants, even food.

Antibodies are proteins that are produced by our white blood cells to

help identify foreign matter in our blood. They " grab " onto the

foreign protein so that it can be processed safely.

Antibodies tend to be cross-reactive. That is, one antibody can grab

onto a wide variety of proteins. The proteins in the HIV-test are

commonly-occurring, and so they cross-react with an even wider variety

of antibodies. This non-specific " cross-reaction " is the actual

meaning of " HIV-positive. "

How cross-reactive is the HIV-Test?

HIV tests can cross-react with antibodies produced from nearly 70

disease (and non-disease) conditions. These include yeast infections,

arthritis, hepatitis, herpes, parasitic infections, drug use,

tuberculosis, inoculations, colds and prior pregnancy (1-3). The HIV

test is also more reactive with people who are chronically exposed to

environmental stressors, bacteria, fungi, parasites and toxins (for

example, people living in poverty without sufficient food and clean

water, such as in Africa).

If you've been exposed to any of these conditions, your body will

produce antibodies that can react with the HIV test proteins. This

non-specific antibody reaction is what's known as " HIV-positive. "

The term " HIV-positive " only has one valid meaning: " Non-specific

antibody to commonly-occurring protein-positive. " An HIV-positive test

result may help identify patients who have a lot of antibodies in

their blood. This can indicate a high historical exposure to illness,

which can serve as a warning to better support immune function by

improving general health. But it's in no way indicative of a terminal,

fatal virus or condition.

This is very different from what we've been told about HIV tests for

nearly 20 years. But the FDA and the test-makers are legally obligated

to state the limitations of their tests. (From HIV test package inserts):

* " At present there is no recognized standard for establishing the

presence or absence of HIV-1 antibody in human blood. " (Abbott

Laboratories HIV Test - ElA)

* " The risk of an asymptomatic person with a repeatedly reactive

serum developing AIDS or an AIDS-related condition is not known. "

(Genetic Systems HIV Test - Peptide EIA)

* " The AMPLICOR HIV-1 MONITOR test is not intended to be used as a

screening test for HIV or as a diagnostic test to confirm the presence

of HIV infection " (Roche, Amplicor HIV Test – PCR).

* " Do not use this kit as the sole basis of diagnosis of HIV-1

infection. " (Epitope, Inc. HIV Test - Western Blot)

* " [Positive test results can occur due to] prior pregnancy, blood

transfusions... and other potential nonspecific reactions. "

[Vironostika HIV Test, 2003].

The medical literature is also clear about the lack of specificity of

HIV tests:

" False-positive ELISA [antibody] test results can be caused by

alloantibodies resulting from transfusions, transplantation, or

pregnancy, autoimmune disorders, malignancies, alcoholic liver

disease, or for reasons that are unclear... The WB [Western Blot

antibody test] is not used as a screening tool because... it yields an

unacceptably high percentage of indeterminate results. "

Doran TI, Parra E. False-Positive and Indeterminate Human

Immunodeficiency Virus Test Results in Pregnant Women. Archives of

Family Medicine. 2000 Sep/Oct;9:924-9.

" False-positive HIV ELISAs have been observed with serum from

patients with a variety of medical conditions unrelated to HIV

infection.... False-positive HIV ELISAs [also] occur because of human

or technical errors associated with doing the tests or because of

antibodies that coincidentally cross-react with HIV or nonviral

components in the tests... Notable causes of false-positive reactions

have been anti-HLA-DR antibodies that sometimes occur in multiparous

[pregnant more than once] women and in multiply transfused patients.

Likewise, antibodies to proteins of other viruses have been reported

to cross-react with HIV determinants. False-positive HIV ELISAs also

have been observed recently in persons who received vaccines for

influenza and hepatitis B virus "

Proffitt MR, Yen-Lieberman B. Laboratory diagnosis of human

immunodeficiency virus infection. Inf Dis Clin North Am. 1993;7:203-19.

Regardless of what the FDA-mandated warnings or the clinical research

tells us, these non-specific tests are used to tell people that

they're infected with a deadly virus.

The test makers are aware that HIV-positive test results occur because

of " prior pregnancy, blood transfusion…and other nonspecific

reactions, " " vaccines, " " human or technical errors, " " transfusions,

transplantation, or pregnancy, autoimmune disorders, malignancies,

alcoholic liver disease, or for reasons that are unclear. " Given all

of this cross-reactivity…

How do we know who is really HIV-positive?

The answer to this question has more to do with sociology than

science. Lab technicians, doctors and nurses are instructed by the

test manufacturers to make this determination subjectively, based on

socio-economic and sexual criteria.

The HIV test has two different names for identical test reactions:

" nonspecific " and " specific. " A " nonspecific reaction " (HIV-negative

or indeterminate) is the diagnosis given to people determined to be in

the " low-risk group. " A " specific reaction " (HIV-positive) is the

diagnosis determined to be in the " high-risk group. "

Social, Sexual and Economic Bias in HIV Testing:

Who are the people in these groups? The " high-risk group, " according

to the test manufacturers, consists of " prison inmates, STD clinic

patients, inner city hospital emergency room patients… homosexual men

[and] intravenous drug users. " The " low-risk group " isn't defined, but

can be assumed to include people outside of poverty situations who are

under less social, ethnic and economic stress.

For people in the " high-risk group, " an antibody reaction is more

likely to be considered " specific " (HIV positive). However, for the

" low-risk group, " the test manufactures state that " nonspecific

reactions [HIV negative] may be more common than specific reactions

[HIV positive]. (Vironostika HIV Test, 2003). "

What makes a " nonspecific " (HIV negative) reaction " more common " [more

likely] than a " specific " (HIV positive) reaction in the " low-risk group " ?

What makes a " specific " reaction " more common " in the " high-risk group? "

The answer to this question is different from test to test, lab to

lab, and country to country. There are no standards for what makes a

test " HIV-positive. "

* " At present there is no recognized standard for establishing the

presence or absence of HIV-1 antibody in human blood. " (Abbott

Laboratories HIV Test - ElA)

The final analysis belongs to the subjective interpretation of the

person or institution giving the test. The test manufacturers are

telling the lab technicians, doctors and nurses who are reading these

tests that it's acceptable to determine HIV test results based on

subjective consideration of an individual's ethnic, social, sexual and

economic status.

* " Both the degree of risk for HIV-1 infection of the person

studied and the degree of reactivity of the serum may be of value in

interpreting the test " – (Abbott Laboratories HIV Test – EIA)

It is highly unethical to assume that two identical reactions mean

different things, based on socio-economic factors and sexual

preference, but that is exactly what is being done every day in HIV

test labs.

Given the subjective, variable interpretation of HIV tests, how

accurate are they at predicting illness? The medical literature makes

this very clear:

" Most patients (68 to 89%) from low risk groups who show

reactivity on screening tests will have false-positive results… The

predictive value of a positive ELISA varies from 2% to 99%....The

Western blot method lacks standardization, is cumbersome, and is

subjective in interpretation of banding patterns. "

Steckelberg JM, Cockerill F. Serologic testing for human

immunodeficiency virus antibodies. Mayo Clin Proc. 1988;63:373-9.

HIV antibody tests are exactly 2% to 99% accurate, depending on a

subjective interpretation of your " risk group, " made by whoever is

reading your test. In other words, they're not accurate at all.

The result of this inexcusable lack of medical standards is that if

you're black, Hispanic, poor, using drugs, in prison, gay or pregnant,

then a " nonspecific " test result becomes a life sentence. You're put

on toxic drugs and your children can be drugged and taken away from you.

The tests being used on Sean, Dana, Elaine and Liz (see " The Nurse's

Story " ), as well as thousands of people around the globe, don't tell

us anything about them that we can't tell by hearing their life

stories: they're poor, black, Hispanic, pregnant, they've used drugs,

and they've been exposed to stress and illness.

But even if you decide to believe that a non-specific antibody

reaction actually represents a virus, there's still a problem. No one

knows how HIV is supposed to work. As Stevenson points out in Nature,

no one knows how HIV infects a cell at all, let alone how it causes

disease, if indeed it does. Despite " considerable efforts, " we have

" two major hypotheses. "

Stevenson concludes his " Nature " article by acknowledging how little

is known about HIV. " [W]hat we know represents only a thin veneer on

the surface… " But like most AIDS researchers, he remains stuck to the

failed hypothesis. In order to understand HIV better, Stevenson

writes, " a permissive, small animal model would be a key experimental

tool. "

AIDS researchers, failing to prove the HIV hypothesis accurate and

true, have instead clung onto it stubbornly for 20 years, prescribing

AIDS drugs to patients in spite of the terrible inaccuracy of the HIV

test. According to Stevenson, they haven't even done the appropriate

experiments in animals before inflicting toxic pharmaceuticals onto

the general population.

But this doesn't seem to bother NIAID, the NIH, Genentech, Glaxo,

Pfizer, Harlem Hospital, Beth Israel, Columbia Presbyterian, or any of

NY hospitals that feed children to ICC. They don't need an animal

model. They do their experiments on children.

Afterword

The treatment of patients at ICC currently violates every one of the

ethical standards for medical experiments set out by international

courts after World War 2.

* The children at ICC are enrolled in drug trials without their

knowledge,

* And without the consent of their parents or guardians.

* The experiments are neither safe nor necessary.

* The drugs used are known to cause disability and death.

* Children who refuse the drugs are force fed, then surgically

altered.

Is this acceptable behavior? Or do we need another Nuremberg Trial to

remind ourselves how to be civilized?

The experience of Mona, Jacklyn and their childen is not unique. It is

mirrored by patients throughout the United States and across the globe

who have made sick by the irrational, profit-driven use of dangerous

pharmaceuticals. Informed mothers who try to protect their children

from deadly drug therapies are labeled renegades, and risk losing

their children to state agencies closely aligned with - and even by

funded by - the very companies that produce and sell the drugs.

If this is to stop, it will be up to all of us - citizens, scientists,

health advocates, activists, mothers, fathers and family members - to

bring this to public attention, to protect the rights of these

children, and to remind the medical establishment of their sacred

oath: " Primum Non Nocere. " First, Do No Harm.

There are organizations dedicated to protecting human rights and

preserving medical and social ethics. If you're disturbed by this

story, let them know about it.

Organization

Phone / Fax

Address

Web Address/Email

Amnesty International

T (212) 807-8400/

F (212) 463-9193

322 8th Avenue, New York,

NY 10001

www.amnestyusa.org

admin-us

Physicians Committee for

Responsible Medicine

T (202) 686-2210

F (202) 686-2216

5100 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 400 Washington, DC 20016

www.pcrm.org

pcrm

Alliance for Human Research

Protection

548 Broadway, 3rd floor,

New York, NY 10012

http://www.ahrp.org/about/about.html

veracare

A.C.L.U. New York

T (212) 344-3005

F (212) 344-3318

125 Broad Street, 17th Floor,

New York, NY 10004

http://www.nyclu.org/

nyclucrc

N.A.A.C.P.

T (877) NAACP-98

24 Hour Hotline:

T (410) 521-4939

4805 Mt. Hope Drive,

Baltimore Maryland 21215

http://www.naacp.org

washingtonbureau

Public Citizen

T (202) 588-1000

1600 20th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009

http://www.citizen.org/

hrg1

Prevent Child Abuse New York

T (518) 445-127

T 1-800 CHILDREN

F (518) 436-5889

134 S. Swan St.

Albany, NY 12210

www.preventchildabuseny.org

cdeyss

It's never too late for any doctor to examine what he or she is doing

and make a change. Following the leads of Jacklyn Herger and Mona

Newberg, we may not only find that a cure for Pediatric AIDS is

possible, but that it's always been possible. We have nothing to lose,

and everything to gain by exploring these options.

For the sake of the children at ICC, and the children yet to come –

Doctors, it's time for a new hypothesis.

See the ICC picture gallery.

References:

1) Giraldo Dr. RA. Everybody Reacts Positive on the ELISA Test

for HIV. Continuum (London) 1999; 5(5): 8-10.

2) Giraldo, Dr. RA. Tests for HIV are Highly Inaccurate.

Posted during the South African Presidential AIDS Advisory Panel,

2000b. http://www.robertogiraldo.com

3) Johnson C. Is anyone really positive? Continuum (London)

April/May 1995.

4) Johnson C. Whose Antibodies are They Anyway? Continuum

(London), September/October 1996; 4(3):4-5

5) Johnson C. Factors known to cause false-positive HIV

antibody test results. Zenger's Magazine, San Diego, California;

September 1996; 8-9. http://www.virusmyth.net

6) Stevenson, Mario. HIV-1 Pathogenesis. Nature Medicine, HIV

Special. July 2003. Vol.9, No. 7. 853-861.

7) Papadopulos-Eleopulos E, Turner VF, Papadimitriou JM,

Causer D. The Isolation of HIV: Has it really been achieved? Continuum

1996;4:1s-24s.8.

8) Papadopulos-Eleopulos E, Turner VF, Papadimitriou JM,

Causer D. A critical analysis of the evidence for the isolation of

HIV. At Website http://www.virusmyth.com/aids/data/epappraisal.htm 1997.

9) Papadopulos-Eleopulos E, Turner VF, Papadimitriou JM, et

al. Between the Lines. A Critical Analysis of Luc Montagnier's

Interview Answers to Djamel Tahi. Continuum (London) 1997/8; 5(2):35-45.

10) Scheff, Liam – The AIDS Debate – The Most Controversial

Story You've Never Heard. Boston's Weekly Dig. May 7, 2003.

http://www.altheal.org/texts/liamscheff.htm

11) Lauritsen, John – The AIDS War.

12) Duesberg, P., Koehnlein, C., and Rasnick, D. The chemical

bases of the various AIDS epidemics: recreational drugs, anti-viral

chemotherapy and malnutrition. J. Biosci., 28: 383-412, 2003.

13) Durack, D. T. Opportunistic infections and Kaposi's

sarcoma in homosexual men. The New England Journal of Medicine, 305:

1465-1467, 1981.

14) Oppenheimer, G. M. Causes, cases, and cohorts: The role of

epidemiology in the historical construction of AIDS. In: D. M. Fox

(ed.), AIDS: The Making of a Chronic Disease, pp. 49-83.

Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992.

15) Jaffe, H. W., Choi, K., Thomas, P. A., Haverkos, H. W.,

Auerbach, D. M., Guinan, M. E., Rogers, M. F., Spira, T. J., Darrow,

W. W., Kramer, M. A., Friedman, S. M., Monroe, J. M., Friedman-Kien,

A. E., Laubenstein, L. J., Marmor, M., Safai, B., Dritz, S. K.,

Crispi, S. J., Fannin, S. L., Orkwis, J. P., Kelter, A., Rushing, W.

R., Thacker, S. B., and Curran, J. W. National case-control study of

Kaposi's sarcoma and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in homosexual men:

Part 1, Epidemiologic results. Ann. Intern. Med., 99: 145-151, 1983

16) Papadopulos-Eleopulos E, Turner VF, Papdimitriou JM. Is a

Positive Western Blot Proof of HIV Infection? Bio/Technology

1993;11:696-707.

*) Christine Maggiore: " What If Everything You Thought You

Knew About AIDS Was Wrong, " http://www.aliveandwell.org

**) Some Continuum magazines :

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/esprit-libre/continuum/continuum.htm

Liam Scheff

liamscheff

French version / En français : http://www.sidasante.com/journal/maison.htm

Read The Nurse's Story:

Jacklyn Herger is a pediatric AIDS nurse who worked at ICC in the

early 90s. In 1996 she began the adoption process for two HIV-positive

children from ICC through Catholic Home Bureau In 1998, the girls,

Elaine, age six, and Liz, age four, came to live with Herger, her

husband and five-year-old daughter as a family. A trained nurse,

Herger gave AIDS drugs " by the book. " To her shock and amazement, it

was only when she stopped giving the drugs that the girls got better.

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