The AIDS Conspiracy: Science Fights Back

In this compelling book, Nicoli Nattrass explores the social and political factors shaping AIDS conspiracy theories, particularly the erroneous belief that the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) was manufactured in the United States as a biological weapon. She argues that AIDS conspiracy theories and AIDS denialism (the belief that HIV is harmless) are dangerous because both make a "conspiratorial move" against HIV science, implying none of it can be trusted. This has undermined HIV prevention and antiretroviral treatment in the U.S. and South Africa. Nattrass identifies four symbolically powerful figures within the AIDS denialism movement and describes how pro-science activists have responded by challenging their credibility and defending evidence-based medicine.