February 06, 2005

A new documentary premering on Monday on The Sundance Channel explores the theory that AIDS was a byproduct of the 1950's mass polio innoculations, which were supposedly contaminated by viruses which came from African chimpanzees. This theory first appeared in 1992 in The Lancet and Rolling Stone, of all places, and was later fleshed out in a 1999 book.

However, doctors seem to have debunked this theory as far back as 1992, with the first known AIDS case predating the innoculations, and as recently as 2004. The book's author disagrees with the latest findings. These questions have caused African nations to ban the polio vaccine. From the above linked article - "Since September 11, the Muslim world is beginning to be suspicious of any move from the Western world," said Sule Ya'u Sule, speaking for the governor of Kano, one of the states where the vaccine is banned. "Our people have become really concerned about polio vaccine." What is the morality of all this? Is this just more conspiracy theory? If so, it's helping lead to a rise in polio cases in Africa, particularly Nigeria, as well as a distrust of the West. Or is there something to this? Plese note the excellent links on the documentary's page as well.

posted by waitingtoderail 19 years ago
  • Is this really not worthy of ANY comment?
  • Its a sunday, man. No ones here.
  • I'm just hoping it will go away if we don't look directly at it.
  • "So many families won't go to hospitals again. They prefer to die," Shaba said. "We are suspicious of people who come to our doors with liquid for our children's mouths. We don't know who they are or what they want." (from your third link) This is sad. I had kind of thought polio had been eradicated, like small pox, except for something in a lab somewhere. Sad too that there is some historical basis for even having those kind of suspicions. US examples of Tuskegee and smallpox blankets come to mind and perhaps there are examples closer to home for the African nations that decided to put in place this unfortunate ban.
  • Never understimate the human capacity for intellectual perversity.