The Perth Group
The Perth Group is a group of HIV/AIDS denialists based in Perth, Western Australia who claim, in opposition to the scientific consensus, that the existence of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is not proven, and that AIDS and all the "HIV" phenomena are caused by changes in cellular redox due to the oxidative nature of substances and exposures common to all the AIDS risk groups, and are caused by the cell conditions used in the "culture" and "isolation" of "HIV". The group's activism has negatively affected the epidemic of HIV/AIDS in South Africa due to their influence on the AIDS policies of South African President Thabo Mbeki. The resulting governmental refusal to provide effective anti-HIV treatment in South Africa has been blamed for hundreds of thousands of premature AIDS-related deaths in South Africa. In 2007 the testimony of several group members was thrown out of court during the trial of an HIV-positive man charged with reckless transmission of HIV. Robert Gallo has stated that he was amazed at the Perth Group's "mass ignorance coupled with the grandiosity of selling themselves as experts".
Read the full Wikipedia article β 342 reads in 60 days
Check the claims
Search independent fact-checkers for this topic:
Action items
- Read the article's evidence and "investigation" or "reception" sections, and open its cited sources.
- Before sharing anything on this topic, run it through the fact-checkers above.
- Check claims with the WHO, CDC, NHS or your national health agency.
- Ask your doctor or pharmacist before changing treatment.
- Look for systematic reviews (e.g. Cochrane), not single studies.
- If someone you know believes it, ask what evidence would change their mind, and share one good source, not ten.
Prevention steps
- StopNotice a strong emotion (anger, fear, 'they don't want you to know') before you share. Pause first.
- Investigate the sourceWho is making the claim, what's their expertise, and what do they gain if you believe it?
- Find better coverageRead laterally: open new tabs and see what independent outlets and fact-checkers say.
- Trace claims to the originFind the original study, video or document. Check dates and whether quotes are cut.
- Ask what would change your mindReal theories can be tested. If every piece of counter-evidence 'proves' the cover-up, it can't be.
- Count the peopleBig secret plots need thousands of people to stay silent for years. That rarely happens.
- Talk, don't mockWith friends or family, ask questions, listen, share your own sources calmly. Shame backfires.
- PrebunkLearn the common tricks (cherry-picking, fake experts, false dilemmas) so you spot them early.