Scientists Say Internet Gives AIDS Denialists New Life
August 20, 2007
Scientists were for the most part able to ignore HIV denialists—those who say that HIV is not the cause of AIDS—until the internet came along, according to a new article published in the Public Library of Science online. The World Wide Web has given the public so much more access to denialist theories, the article warns, that HIV prevention and treatment efforts may be threatened.
Despite overwhelming science to the contrary, denialists include a wide range of prominent people and organizations, including South African president Thabo Mbeki, the San Francisco Chapter of ACT-UP and even the rock group the Foo Fighters.
The authors say that the public’s lack of understanding of HIV science has made it easier for denialist theories to become accepted. “A solid understanding of the scientific method may not eliminate science denial, but it may act as a buffer against the further spread of such denialist beliefs,” they write.
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