Christine Maggiore
Christine Joy Maggiore (July 25, 1956 – December 27, 2008) was an
Maggiore's promotion of HIV/AIDS denialism had long been controversial, particularly since her 3-year-old daughter,
Early life and career
Born in
HIV diagnosis and activism
In 1992, as part of a routine medical exam, Maggiore
In 1995, Maggiore left the clothing business to work as a freelance consultant for US government export programs. At the same time, she founded
In a 2002 article entitled "My Bout of So-Called AIDS", Maggiore wrote that she had an abnormal
In a 2005 article in the
Maggiore's inclusion as an exhibitor at the 13th
Eliza Jane
Christine Maggiore chose not to take
In April 2005, Eliza Jane became ill with a runny nose. She was seen by two physicians, one of whom reportedly knew of Maggiore's HIV status. Eliza Jane was not tested for HIV and was diagnosed with
On May 16, 2005, Eliza Jane collapsed and stopped breathing.
The postmortem examination of Eliza Jane's brain showed changes consistent with HIV encephalitis; protein components of HIV itself were identified in Eliza Jane's brain tissue via immunohistochemistry.[12] The coroner concluded that Eliza Jane had died of Pneumocystis pneumonia in the setting of advanced AIDS.[2][12]
Maggiore rejected the coroner's conclusion, ascribing it to political bias and attacking the personal credibility of the senior coroner.
Reaction to Eliza Jane's death
Controversy ensued in the wake of Eliza Jane's death; as Eliza Jane had acquired HIV from Maggiore
... infants whose HIV infected mothers listen to AIDS denialists never got the chance to make their own decisions. The Maggiore case received wide publicity. Christine Maggiore is a person who’s proselytized against the use of antiretrovirals to prevent HIV/AIDS. She's a classic AIDS denialist, and she gave birth to a child who died at age three late last year of an AIDS-related infection. The coroner’s report clearly reports that the child died of AIDS. That was another unnecessary death.[17]
During this controversy, Maggiore had held fast to her views on HIV/AIDS and to Al-Bayati's conclusion.
Eliza Jane's death was investigated by the
The board argued that Fleiss had failed to test Eliza Jane for HIV (or to document her parents' refusal of testing), failed to counsel Maggiore to avoid breastfeeding given the risk of transmitting HIV, and committed similar violations of standard medical practice in Fleiss' care of a second HIV-positive child.[20] Ultimately, Fleiss conceded a failure to keep adequate medical records and was sanctioned with 35 months of probation, but was not found grossly negligent by the Board.[21]
Maggiore and her husband, Robin Scovill, sued Los Angeles County in 2007 for allegedly violating their daughter's civil rights and privacy by releasing her autopsy report, which indicated that she was HIV-positive. A settlement was reached in 2009.[22]
Death
On December 27, 2008, Maggiore died at the age of 52. She was under a doctor's care and was being treated for what was originally reported as pneumonia. The Los Angeles County coroner's office stated that Maggiore had been treated for pneumonia in the six months prior to her death as well.[23] A doctor familiar with the family noted that anti-HIV drugs could have prevented her death, but Maggiore's fellow AIDS denialists argued that her pneumonia was not AIDS-related and suggested instead that she died as a result of a toxic alternative medicine "holistic cleanse", stress, or the cold and flu.[10][23] Maggiore's death certificate states that the cause of death was disseminated herpes virus infection and bilateral pneumonia, with oral candidiasis as a contributing cause, all of which can be related to HIV infection. The death certificate also states that there was no autopsy performed.[24]
See also
- The Other Side of AIDS
- House of Numbers
References
- ^ a b France, David (2000-08-28). "The HIV Disbeliever". Newsweek.
- ^ ABC Primetime Live. 2005-12-08. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
- ^ a b c Borger, Julian (2005-09-26). "Mother who denied Aids link faces police investigation after death of daughter". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-03-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Ornstein, Charles; Daniel Costello (2005-09-24). "A Mother's Denial, a Daughter's Death". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
- ISBN 9780253010360. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ^ For examples, see:
- Nduati R, John G, Mbori-Ngacha D, Richardson B, Overbaugh J, Mwatha A, Ndinya-Achola J, Bwayo J, Onyango F, Hughes J, Kreiss J (2000). "Effect of breastfeeding and formula feeding on transmission of HIV-1: a randomized clinical trial". JAMA. 283 (9): 1167–74. PMID 10703779.
- Tess B, Rodrigues L, Newell M, Dunn D, Lago T (1998). "Infant feeding and risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1 in São Paulo State, Brazil. São Paulo Collaborative Study for Vertical Transmission of HIV-1". J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol. 19 (2): 189–94. PMID 9768630.
- Watts D; Watts, D. Heather (2002). "Management of human immunodeficiency virus infection in pregnancy". N Engl J Med. 346 (24): 1879–91. PMID 12063373.
- Nduati R, John G, Mbori-Ngacha D, Richardson B, Overbaugh J, Mwatha A, Ndinya-Achola J, Bwayo J, Onyango F, Hughes J, Kreiss J (2000). "Effect of breastfeeding and formula feeding on transmission of HIV-1: a randomized clinical trial". JAMA. 283 (9): 1167–74.
- Pap smearhas never been an AIDS-defining condition.
- ^ Maggiore, Christine. "My Bout of So-Called AIDS". From the website of Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
- ^ Criticism of Maggiore's inclusion in the 13th International AIDS Conference
- ^ a b "Death of an AIDS Skeptic; Friends Say Christine Maggiore Endured Media Stress; Doctors Say She Caused Misery". ABCNews. 2009-01-01. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
- ^ Given the known and unknown risks of antiretroviral use in pregnancy, National Institutes of Health guidelines state that the final decision regarding their use "should be made by the woman after discussion with her health care provider about the known and unknown benefits and risks of therapy" in a "noncoercive" environment; see "Recommendations on HIV therapy during pregnancy" (PDF). National Institutes of Health. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-04-22. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
- ^ MiB)
- ^ HIV Infection in Infants and Children; thebody.com; July 2004 Archived 2009-02-20 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 20 July 2007.
- ^ Justice For E.J., website maintained by David Crowe of the Alberta Reappraising AIDS Society, accessed September 5, 2006.
- ^ Costello, Daniel; Charles Ornstein (2005-12-09). "HIV Skeptic Takes Her Case to TV Audience". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
- ^ Christine Maggiore: AIDS naysayer, accessed September 5, 2006.
- ^ HIV and Responsible Journalism Archived October 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, presented at the 16th annual International AIDS Conference, accessed 5 September 2006.
- ^ Celia Farber, A Daughter's Death, A Mother's Survival, Los Angeles City Beat[permanent dead link].
- ^ "L.A. County D.A. Won't Act in Girl's AIDS-Related Death". Los Angeles Times. 16 September 2006. Retrieved 5 October 2006.
- ^ Hall, C (2007-10-09). "Fleiss (the father) is placed on probation". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
- ^ Hall, Carla (October 9, 2007). "Fleiss (the father) is put on probation". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Hennessy-Fiske, Molly (March 6, 2009). "L.A. County settles suit on autopsy of HIV skeptics' daughter". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved March 16, 2009.
- ^ a b "Christine Maggiore, vocal skeptic of AIDS research, dies at 52". Los Angeles Times. 2008-12-30. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
- ^ "Christine Maggiore died of AIDS" (PDF). AIDStruth.org. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
External links
- A Mother's Denial, A Daughter's Death: from the Los Angeles Times.
- Did HIV-Positive Mom's Beliefs Put Her Children at Risk? An ABC News Primetime special.
- AIDS denial: A lethal delusion Jonny Steinberg, New Scientist 2009.
- Obituary from the Los Angeles Times.
- Debunking the AIDS Denialist Movie House of NumbersMy by Myles Power mainly criticizing Christine Maggiore and her role in this movie and during its making. (Youtube)