Widely Varying Criteria for a Positive HIV Test Result.

Just to show how crazy antibody testing is, here is a slide showing 11 different criteria for being HIV positive using the same Western blot antibody test for proving the same virus infection. This shows that the "code" used to diagnose HIV varies depending on where you are tested. These are from many different institutions and laboratories from all around the world.

It means for example that an African can be positive in Africa but not if he is tested in Australia or New York City.

Can anyone imagine 11 sets of criteria for diagnosing a heart attack on an electrocardiogram? Or tuberculosis on a chest X-ray? Is it possible to have a heart attack or TB in the UK but to have this negated by crossing the Atlantic ocean or even the English channel?

How can doctors practise medicine under such circumstances? How can public health officials compare data? And most importantly, how can we subject mothers and babies to these tests and claim proof of sexual and mother to child transmission?

This slide is part of a presentation given by Dr. Valendar Turner to staff of the New York Assembly Health Committee, using 24 slides with accompanying text explanation to explain problems about HIV isolation and HIV testing. It can also be obtained at the Perth Group web site. See under "Diagnosing HIV in mothers and infants as a PowerPoint presentation.

This information was finally published this year, after a delay of more than ten years. Click on this link to view the letter by Australian scientists that appeared in the International Journal of STD and AIDS (requires PDF viewer).