13 AIDS Denialists Who Died of AIDS

When I was 19, I met a woman in Saint Louis who called herself Brenda. Brenda was open about the fact that she had HIV. She was also open about the fact that it was "nothing serious," that she did not have AIDS, and that she was never going to get AIDS. I found out through a friend-of-a-friend that Brenda passed away a year and a half ago from pneumonia, after two years of wasting and suffering.

Rest in peace, you poor, misguided woman.

AIDS denialism-- a loosely conglomerated movement comprised primarily of HIV-positive conspiracy theorists-- has its appeal. Who wouldn't, after hearing the grim diagnosis of HIV, want to believe that the virus is innoccuous? Proponents of AIDS denialism believe that HIV is a harmless "carrier virus" and that it has nothing to do with AIDS. They attribute AIDS symptoms to recreational drugs, smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise-- even things like too little sunlight. Like other medical conspiracy theorists, this one kills-- many.

One would hope that, over the last three decades and after millions of AIDS related deaths, the conspiracy theory would be over, but it's still alive and well. Unfortunately, thousands of HIV-positive people still skip condoms and avoid treatment because they refuse to accept the virus's link to AIDS. 

The list is extensive, but here are just a few outspoken AIDS denialists who have died of AIDS.

1. Christine Maggiore

The founder of "Alive and Well AIDS Alternatives," Christine Maggiore successfully convinced thousands of HIV-positive people to avoid treatment and to practice unprotected sex. After refusing to take antiretrovirals during pregnancy, she gave birth to daughter who appeared to be HIV-positive. The girl was severely underweight and frequently sick, but Maggiore denied that her daughter could possibly have AIDS. Tragically-- and predictably-- Maggiore's daughter died of AIDS at age three. Her death could have been prevented by proper treatment.

Christine Maggiore herself died a few years later of pneumonia and a systemic yeast infection-- two opportunistic infections characteristic of advanced AIDS.

2. Marietta Ndziba

A classic example of someone who trusted multi-level marketing in lieu of effective medical care, Marietta Ndziba was one of many South African AIDS sufferers who believed claims that multivitamin supplements could cure HIV and prevent AIDS. Shortly before her death, she claimed that she was extremely healthy despite her AIDS diagnosis, attributing her success to micronutrient supplements.

Marietta Ndziba died of AIDS while pursuing her multivitamin regimen. Her relatives, desperate to stand by her AIDS denialism, claimed that she died of a stress headache.

3. David Pasquarelli

The leader of the AIDS denialist group ACT UP San Francisco, David Pasquarelli was a good-hearted but deeply misled activist. Pasquarelli believed that HIV and AIDS were completely unrelated phenomena. He believed that AIDS was the product of a homophonic and eugenic government conspiracy, and that people with HIV could lead healthy lives without medical treatment.

Pasquarelli died of AIDS at age 37. His causes of death read as a nearly all-inclusive list of AIDS-defining conditions. Among his terminal diseases were anemia, thrush, meningitis, mycobacterium, CMV and PCP.

4. Casper G. Schmidt

AIDS denialism is even scarier when its proponents include medical practitioners. Dr. Casper Schmidt, a licensed psychiatrist, authored an article entitled, "The Group-Fantasy Origins of AIDS," which suggests that AIDS is nothing more than a massive case of "epidemic hysteria." Schmidt believed not only that HIV did not cause AIDS, but also that AIDS itself did not exist. (Note that this was in the mid-1980s, when AIDS denialism might have still appeared somewhat plausible.)

Predictably and tragically, Dr. Schmidt died of AIDS ten years after authoring his AIDS-denialist article. Proponents of his theories still cite his "research," even though Schmidt's death itself reveals the fallacy of his theory.

5. Jody Wells

An outspoken AIDS denialist, Jody Wells founded the UK-based AIDS denialist newsletter "Continuum." He and the other editors of Continuum promoted the notion that AIDS was a conspiracy and that it was unrelated to HIV. Wells believed that AIDS fears were founded in homophobia, not science.

Jody Wells died of AIDs in 1995.

6. Tony Tompsett

One of Continuum's most prolific contributors, Tony Tompsett wrote for the AIDS denialist movement from 1993 until his death in 1998. At age 39, Tompsett passed away from Kaposi's sarcoma, pneumonia and toxoplasmosis-- three diseases utterly characteristic of HIV infection and AIDS.

7. Huw Christie

A gay rights activist and AIDS denialist, Huw Christie also wrote and edited the denialist magazine Continuum. He died in 2001 of Kaposi's sarcoma-- a herpes-related tumor viewed as one of the classic AIDS-defining illnesses.

All of Continuum's editors have now died of AIDS, so the denialist newsletter is no longer published.

8. Sylvie Cousseau

An extremely vocal AIDS denialist, Sylvie Cousseau gathered testimonials from "healthy" people who were living with HIV and refusing medical treatment. Most, if not all, of the people who contributed testimonials to Cousseau's list have developed AIDS and/or died from the condition.

Cousseau himself died of AIDS in 2001, passing away with all the characteristic symptoms of the disease.

9. Scott Zanetti

One of the contributors to Cousseau's list of "AIDS-free" HIV sufferers, Scott Zanetti was active in the AIDS denialist community. Shortly after authoring a heartwarming testimonial about his medication-free, illness-free, HIV-positive life, Zanetti in 2002. His cause of death? Yes, you guessed it. AIDS.

10. Peter Mokaba

South African politician Peter Mokaba, a prominent AIDS denialist, was the ruler of the ruling political party known as the African National Congress. Mokaba was HIV positive, but refused treatment because he viewed pharmaceutical drugs as poisonous. He died in 2002 of AIDS-related pneumonia.

11. Raphael Lombardo

A regular poster to the "Virusmyth" AIDS denialist message board, Raphael Lombardo wrote in May of 1995 that he was HIV positive but not at all sick. He claimed that he was extremely healthy and knew that his HIV was harmless, so he refused any treatment with conventional drugs. Lombardo died of AIDS only a year after claiming that he was in extraordinarily good health.

12. Jack Levine

Jack Levine's story is a haunting example of how dogmatic conspiracy theorists can turn violently on a person who questions their assessments. Jack Levine was a regular contributor to the Virusmyth messageboards also frequented by Raphael Lombardo. When Levine fell ill, he began to question AIDS denialism and fellow board contributors turned aggressively on him. He died of AIDS in 2002, and the messageboard was removed to hide the shocking record of other members' cruelty toward him as he dealt with advanced, untreated AIDS.

13. Kelly Jon Landis

A self-proclaimed "dissident saint," Kelly Jon Landis believed that AIDS drugs themselves caused every symptom of AIDS. He was an avid cycist, health food fanatic and fan of holistic medicine. Unfortunately, he carried his assumptions about "healthy" living a bit too far, assuming that his lifestyle could protect him from the development of AIDS. Landis died of AIDS in 2007 after a long battle with advanced infection.

Unfortunately, these deaths are only a small fraction of the AIDS denialists who have died of AIDS. More can be seen at AIDStruth.org. Although these deaths were tragic, some good may have come from them. They have demonstrated the inherent fallacy in AIDS denialism and other forms of blind conspiracy theory. Because of the examples they have set, more people with HIV may seek effective treatment-- and, equally importantly, may take measures to prevent the spread of the disease.