AIDS is our shared, global modern epic, and its recitation for decades via all the present day equivalents of the communal fires of Homeric Greece has fundamentally changed not only the way biomedical science is carried out, perceived and reported, but also the way we regard people in poverty, diagnose disease, define health, view addiction and experience sexuality, and it has distorted beyond recognition fundamental concepts such as contagion and mutation.
Therefore, having a large complement of Greek genes, I have assembled a "catalog of the 48 ships of "HIV/AIDS", and I invite everyone, but especially those who think they know what "AIDS is", to examine it.
- AIDS experts say there are at least 10 generalized syndromes that constitute non-specific “HIV/AIDS-defining” illnesses:
1-Fever of unknown etiology plus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
2-Persistant headache lasting 1 month plus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
3-Muscle wasting syndrome (slim disease) plus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
4-Retinitis of several forms plus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
5-Encephalopathy of various forms plus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
6-Dimentia of various forms plus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
7-Anemia plus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
8-Low (< 250 cells/ ml) CD-4-positive cell count plus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
9-Thrombocytopenea plus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
10-Warts plus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
- Generalized syndromes that ARE NOT “HIV/AIDS” associated illnesses, but are indistinguishable from them when seen in the clinic:
1-Fever of unknown etiology minus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
2-Persistant headache lasting 1 month minus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
3-Muscle wasting syndrome (slim disease) minus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
4-Retinitis of several forms minus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
5-Encephalopathy of various forms minus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
6-Dimentia of various forms minus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
7-Anemia minus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
8-Low (< 250 cells/ ml) CD-4-positive cell count minus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
9-Thrombocytoepenea minus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
10-Warts minus antibodies or genomic fragments indirectly associated with “HIV.”
[The catalog continues ...]
Andrew Maniotis, is a Program Director in the Cell and Developmental Biology of Cancer unit of the Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago.
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