Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In Indonesia, posts with hundreds of shares and thousands of interactions are promoting disinformation meant to discourage people with HIV from seeking life-saving treatment. The posts shared in Indonesian claim that antiretroviral therapies harm the immune system when, in fact, they do just the opposite: by preventing the HIV virus from replicating, ARV therapy protects white blood cells from harm.
The posts capitalize on rising anti-LGBTQ sentiment in Indonesia, where the president in 2025 declared "LGBTQ culture" to be a security threat. They suggest that both HIV and the LGBTQ community are inventions meant to prop up the pharmaceutical industry.
In reality, ARV therapy allows people with HIV to live normal lifespans and experts warn that if disinformation leads to a delay in treatment, the results could be deadly.
Music: AUDIONETWORK / Walking in the Lodge / Philip Sheppard PRS
AUDIONETWORK / Solution Explained / Paul Dinletir ASCAP
In Indonesia, posts with hundreds of shares and thousands of interactions are promoting disinformation meant to discourage people with HIV from seeking life-saving treatment. The posts shared in Indonesian claim that antiretroviral therapies harm the immune system when, in fact, they do just the opposite: by preventing the HIV virus from replicating, ARV therapy protects white blood cells from harm.
The posts capitalize on rising anti-LGBTQ sentiment in Indonesia, where the president in 2025 declared "LGBTQ culture" to be a security threat. They suggest that both HIV and the LGBTQ community are inventions meant to prop up the pharmaceutical industry.
In reality, ARV therapy allows people with HIV to live normal lifespans and experts warn that if disinformation leads to a delay in treatment, the results could be deadly.
Music: AUDIONETWORK / Walking in the Lodge / Philip Sheppard PRS
AUDIONETWORK / Solution Explained / Paul Dinletir ASCAP
