AIDS arrived in America in 1969 (Full Version)

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Level -> AIDS arrived in America in 1969 (10/29/2007 4:30:13 PM)

WASHINGTON - The AIDS virus invaded the United States in about 1969 from Haiti, carried most likely by a single infected immigrant who set the stage for it to sweep the world in a tragic epidemic, scientists said on Monday.

Michael Worobey, a University of Arizona evolutionary biologist, said the 1969 U.S. entry date is earlier than some experts had believed.

The timeline laid out in the study led by Worobey indicates that HIV infections were occurring in the United States for roughly 12 years before AIDS was first recognized by scientists as a disease in 1981. Many people had died by that point.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21534118



pahunkboy -> RE: AIDS arrived in America in 1969 (10/29/2007 4:38:42 PM)

A huge speader was a flight attedent from Montreal- that went to the westt coast often.



HaveRopeWillBind -> RE: AIDS arrived in America in 1969 (10/29/2007 4:41:00 PM)

Level,
I recently read an article (but for the life of me can't recall where) that said that it may have been as early as the early 50's. There were a number of deaths through the 50's that never had a cause identified, but which in retrospect had symptoms that fit the profile for AIDS. No way to test for sure now, but deaths in that time period would be consistent with WWII soldiers who might have been exposed while stationed overseas.



pahunkboy -> RE: AIDS arrived in America in 1969 (10/29/2007 4:47:18 PM)

The general thinking is that it arrive during the bicentenial 1976, when all the ships came to New York Harbor.  Some think it was invented by a scientist- to wipe out a population- in Africa.

Johnathon Katz wrote an interesting book.  A few of them.  "And the band Played On".   In a nutshell plenty of blame for gay guys wanting to party- have fun- with no thought about risky sex. Around 1987 I wondered how many guys I knew had died. One co-worker had the purple blotches. I wore these wild purple pants- he said your pants match my skin. Even tho he was ill- he slept around.  Scarey.



McKwaig -> RE: AIDS arrived in America in 1969 (10/29/2007 4:50:58 PM)

I may be wrong, but I thought that the movie, And The Band Played On gave a fairly accurate depiction of the history of AIDS.  If memory serves me correctly, according to the movie, a female missionary in Africa was the first to die from what would later be known as AIDS.  This new information is interesting.



thornhappy -> RE: AIDS arrived in America in 1969 (10/29/2007 5:00:38 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: HaveRopeWillBind

Level,
I recently read an article (but for the life of me can't recall where) that said that it may have been as early as the early 50's. There were a number of deaths through the 50's that never had a cause identified, but which in retrospect had symptoms that fit the profile for AIDS. No way to test for sure now, but deaths in that time period would be consistent with WWII soldiers who might have been exposed while stationed overseas.

I'd heard the same (a merchant seaman, if I remember), though some folks later called that into question.

The Canadian flight attendant (Gaetan Dugas) was the source of a large outbreak in in LA, but mistakenly thought of the carrier of AIDS into the US (aka "patient zero").  He was "patient zero" for that cluster only, not the whole US.

The last I heard, folks figured HIV jumped from chimpanzee to human from hunting and killing chimps for meat.  Spread was accelerated due to war and the increased amount of trucking and migrant work along Lake Victoria. Would've been just another tropical disease if it wasn't sexually transmitted.

thornhappy



Rule -> RE: AIDS arrived in America in 1969 (10/29/2007 5:19:27 PM)

It most likely was weaponized in a Russian lab.



Kaiynasha -> RE: AIDS arrived in America in 1969 (10/29/2007 5:27:17 PM)

McKwaig- the book was also very good as well. The author writing died from HIV as well. For a good look at HIV/AIDS and stats you may wish to take a look at: http://www.avert.org/statindx.htm. It gives you the history and statisical data of HIV/AIDS.




popeye1250 -> RE: AIDS arrived in America in 1969 (10/29/2007 7:12:25 PM)

When I was in the Navy in the early 70's our ship pulled into Port O Prince, Haiti and the Corpsman told everyone to make sure they used rubbers if they were going to fuck anything there as there was, "a venereal disease that will kill you."
So, the Navy knew about it back then.
Haiti is a real forth world stone aged country.
We really should cut of all interaction with that country.



Dragynsfury -> RE: AIDS arrived in America in 1969 (10/29/2007 7:17:13 PM)

HaveRope,
I remember reading an article similar to the one you and Thorn describe but I read it a long time ago when I was still in highschool (90's.)  Some sailor in the 50's had it.  I used to have the article and I'm kicking myself now for getting rid of it.



Rule -> RE: AIDS arrived in America in 1969 (10/29/2007 7:27:34 PM)

If I recall correctly that sailor was a Swede. He may have gotten the disease from a cat in cross species infection, is my hypothesis. It is not likely to have spread any further from him.
 
The best thing to do to halt the spread of the virus is to stop treating the disease. It is harsh, but the sooner an infected person dies, the less change there is that he or she will infect another person.



DomKen -> RE: AIDS arrived in America in 1969 (10/29/2007 7:52:10 PM)

Here's what is known as far as we know:

First definite person with HIV infection is an anonymous male who gave a blood sample taken in 1959 in the then Belgian Congo.

The first definite death from AIDS was Robert R. a 15 year old living in St. Louis in 1969. His doctors believed him to be a prostitute but he did not discuss details of his life with them before his death.

Arvid Noe the Norwegian sailor first had AIDS symptoms in 1969 but he his wife and daughter did not die until 1976.

As to not treating those with HIV beyond being needlessly cruel it will do virtually nothing to stop the spread of the disease. An HIV+ person can be asymptomatic for years while still being highly contagious. Safe sex education and extensive testing with agressive treatment of those infected to give them a decent quality of life so as to make it more likely those at risk will seek testing are the best available options until a vaccine or cure is developed.



Rule -> RE: AIDS arrived in America in 1969 (10/29/2007 8:14:04 PM)

That was a good and sensible post, DomKen. Thank you for the information.
 
As for a vaccine: it may be a Greek horse.



Bufotenin -> RE: AIDS arrived in America in 1969 (10/30/2007 6:40:53 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Rule

 He may have gotten the disease from a cat in cross species infection, is my hypothesis.  



I wish this site had a :facepalm: emoticon.
FIV isn't SIV.



pahunkboy -> RE: AIDS arrived in America in 1969 (10/30/2007 7:29:33 AM)

Thankfully I dont have it.

The gay crowd had gotten safe- but the new generation is doing high risk sex. maybe cos they didnt watch friends die from aids.

life is strange. statistically....but- 2 people I know got STDS- they werent supposed to. i was.  but i was not angel. just lucky. and to think- a pill viagara is needed. i know a few that used it for fun. what fun is that? being horny all the time? with maybe a relase maybe not. seems like frustration to me. but then a person has the right to their own body.

I never heard knew cat thing. I never knew Belgium owned a forest in the Congo.



Celeste43 -> RE: AIDS arrived in America in 1969 (10/30/2007 8:19:36 AM)

Belgium had a colony in what is the Congo. When they withdrew, they also withdrew every item they had given to hospitals, clinics; schools, agriculture, industry etc. They had to start over with a countryside torn by the rebellion that led to obtaining freedom with no money, no industry, no doctors, nurses, or any modern equipment.



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