HIV causes AIDS
A virus can cause a syndrome
Mainstream science is unanimous on the fact that AIDS is caused by the HI virus. However, many dissidents have contested this notion. Amongst these has been former South African President Thabo Mbeki, who has repeatedly argued that "a virus cannot cause a syndrome".
The evidence that HIV causes AIDS
In the nineteenth century, a German scientist called Robert Koch developed a set of four "postulates" to guide people trying to prove that a germ causes a disease. Scientists agree that if HIV satisfies all of these conditions with regard to AIDS then HIV must be the cause of AIDS:
- Koch 1: The germ must be found in every person with the disease
- Koch 2: The germ must be isolated from someone who has the disease and grown in pure culture
- Koch 3: The germ must cause the disease when introduced into a healthy person
- Koch 4: The germ must be re-isolated from the infected person
Adapted from Avert.org. See how these postulates are applied to HIV: HIV causes AIDS.
Also read this fact sheet by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, outlining The Evidence That HIV Causes AIDS.
This page was last updated on: 23 July 2010.
