United Nations blasts ad campaign by maverick German doctor

United Nations blasts ad campaign by maverick German doctor 1 hour, 12
minutes ago



The United Nations' paramount health agencies launched a joint attack on a
German doctor who has been running a media campaign that attacks anti-HIV
drugs as toxic and claims vitamins destroy the AIDS virus.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), UN Children's Fund (Unicef) and UNAIDS
attacked Matthias Rath's advertisements as misleading and potentially
dangerous.

The ads, along with flyers distributed by Rath and material posted on his
website, claim that antiretroviral drugs damage all the cells in the body
and that a combination of micronutrients can roll back HIV.

He claims that an "AIDS genocide" is unfolding thanks to what he describes
as a cartel by the pharmaceutical industry.

"These advertisements, placed in the international press, are wrong and
misleading," the joint statement by the UN agencies said.

They added they were "extremely concerned" that they had been quoted out of
context by Rath to bolster his claims.

"Misrepresentations of this sort are both dangerous and unhelpful," they
said.

The statement went on to reiterate existing UN advice on nutrition for
people living with HIV or AIDS.

Published in 2003, these guidelines say a sound diet that provides all the
essential vitamins and minerals is important for people with the AIDS virus,
for it can help strengthen the immune system.

Vitamins and nutritional supplements alone cannot substitute for a balanced
diet or replace treatment, the UN agencies said.

"In countries where it is widely available, antiretroviral therapy has
turned AIDS from a 'death sentence' into a chronic but manageable disease,"
they said.

"As with any other drugs, antiretroviral treatments do have side effects
that have been documented in clinical trials."

The riposte was prompted by a series of ads placed last week by Rath in The
New York Times and The International Herald Tribune, UNAIDS spokesman
Dominique De Santis said.

The website says it is run by an organisation called The Dr. Rath Health
Foundation, "a non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of natural
health through research and education worldwide."