Deadly consequences of denial

The Montreal Gazette has run an important story on AIDS denialism [1]. It shows how the untruths spread by denialists (such as that HIV doesn't exist, is harmless or is not sexually transmitted) can confuse and ultimately kill if people do not seek treatment or expose others to the virus.

But perhaps it does not adequately distinguish between personal denial about one's HIV status and the ideological denial that HIV causes AIDS. Although most people with HIV go through some degree of personal denial, very few actually deny that HIV causes AIDS or that ARVs are effective. The former is a psychological state, quite normal when faced with a highly stigmatized life-threatening disease; the latter is a dangerous ideological scourge with deadly consequences.