FALSE: HIV and SARS-CoV-2 do exist
Claiming that the viruses do not exist contradicts scientific evidence.
A tweet disputing the existence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is FALSE.
South African podcaster and cartoonist Jeremy Nell tweeted on 13 January 2023 that: “SARS-CoV-2 does not exist. HIV does not exist. ARVs are toxic”.
However, Nell’s claim flies in the face of peer-reviewed scientific research.
HIV-1 has been observed in many studies: using 3D electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy. HIV-1 is the dominant strain of the virus. HIV causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and has been shown to be directly pathogenic. The epidemiology of HIV is well described.
SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). The virus caused a worldwide pandemic which caused millions of deaths and more than four million cases in South Africa.
SARS-Cov-2 has been studied using fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy. The microscopic study of SARS-CoV-2 is, however, complex. Many peer-reviewed articles describe its epidemiology.
Anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) are a range of medicines to treat HIV. They are effective against HIV. There are some safety concerns but this has improved over time. Side effects are manageable but are outweighed by the benefits of treatment. Side effects are not experienced by all patients and can be treated with other medicines.
Life expectancy on treatment after progression to AIDS is at least five times more than in the untreated. Millions of South Africans use ARVs, the largest such programme in the world.
Nell has made other denialist claims about HIV and Aids and microorganisms which have been debunked by PesaCheck.
PesaCheck has examined a claim that HIV and SARS-CoV-2 do not exist, and finds it to be FALSE.
This post is part of an ongoing series of PesaCheck fact-checks examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms.
By partnering with Facebook and similar social media platforms, third-party fact-checking organisations like PesaCheck are helping to sort fact from fiction. We do this by giving the public deeper insight and context to posts they see in their social media feeds.
Have you spotted what you think is fake or false information on Facebook? Here’s how you can report. And, here’s more information on PesaCheck’s methodology for fact-checking questionable content.
This fact-check was written by PesaCheck climate change fact-checker Christiaan van der Merwe and edited by PesaCheck senior copy editor Cédrick Irakoze and acting chief copy editor Francis Mwaniki.
The article was approved for publication by PesaCheck’s managing editor Doreen Wainainah.
PesaCheck is East Africa’s first public finance fact-checking initiative. It was co-founded by Catherine Gicheru and Justin Arenstein, and is being incubated by the continent’s largest civic technology and data journalism accelerator: Code for Africa. It seeks to help the public separate fact from fiction in public pronouncements about the numbers that shape our world, with a special emphasis on pronouncements about public finances that shape government’s delivery of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) public services, such as healthcare, rural development and access to water / sanitation. PesaCheck also tests the accuracy of media reportage. To find out more about the project, visit pesacheck.org.
PesaCheck is an initiative of Code for Africa, through its innovateAFRICA fund, with support from Deutsche Welle Akademie, in partnership with a coalition of local African media and other civic watchdog organisations.
