|
In general, the term Patient Zero refers to the central or initial patient in the population sample of an epidemiological investigation. Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to control of health problems (Last 2001). ...
In particular, it refers to Gaëtan Dugas (February 1953 – March 30, 1984), a Canadian airline steward who was "Patient O" (for "Out of California") for an early epidemiological study on HIV by the Centers for Disease Control. The "O" was generally misread as "Zero". His sexual partners were surveyed for the disease in order to demonstrate that it was sexually transmitted. Several of them were among the first few hundred to be diagnosed with AIDS. Dugas eventually died not of AIDS or complications related to AIDS, but of renal failure. 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...
March 30 is the 89th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (90th in Leap years). ...
1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a retrovirus that infects cells of the human immune system. ...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta is recognized as the lead United States agency for protecting the public health and safety of people by providing credible information to enhance health decisions, and promoting health through strong partnerships with state health departments and other organizations. ...
The Red Ribbon symbol is used internationally to represent the fight against AIDS. AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, rarely written Aids) is a disease characterized by the destruction of the human immune system. ...
Renal failure is the condition where the kidneys fail to function properly. ...
Dugas was not the first AIDS case in North America. However Dugas' role as an early transmitter of the disease is notable for the fact that he was infected with HIV and admitted (boasted) to having more than 250 sexual partners a year all across North America for several years without using protection. Dugas engaged in this behavior both before and after it was discovered that the disease is transferred through sexual contact.
A misconception holds that Dugas was the first person to introduce the HIV into North America. This myth may have its origins in sensationalism surrounding Randy Shilts' book And The Band Played On which identified Dugas by name as the "Patient Zero" in the CDC study. Neither the book nor the film claims that Dugas was the first to bring the virus to North America. Dugas is referred to as 'Patient Zero' not because he was the first to be diagnosed with the disease but rather because at least 40 of the 248 people diagnosed with AIDS by April 1982 had either had sex with him or with someone who had. The CDC certainly did not conclude that Dugas had introduced the HIV into North America, nor was he the first to have his infection identified. In fact, the earliest identified case of human being infected with the HIV dates back to 1959 in the Belgian Congo (later Zaire and now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). HIV has also been found in tissue samples of an American teenager who died in Missouri in 1969. Randy Shilts (August 8, 1951 - February 17, 1994) was a gay American journalist and author. ...
And the Band Played On is a book written by Randy Shilts chronicling the discovery and spread of HIV and AIDS, with a special emphasis on government indifference to what was perceived as a gay disease. ...
April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ...
1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Furthermore, later research has cast doubt on the validity of the conclusions that were advanced regarding Dugas' role as a major early transmitter of HIV. At the time, it was believed that the HIV incubated for about one year before becoming AIDS. The patients that were studied due to their contact with Patient Zero had AIDS symptoms emerge on an average of eleven months after having sex with him. Now that the incubation period of the HIV is known to be, on average, longer than 12 months, it is unlikely that any of Patient Zero's sexual partners studied were initially infected by him.
Speculation and uninformed sensationalism have advanced the theory that "Patient Zero" of HIV, whoever the first human infected by HIV was, was infected through sexual contact with chimps. This unfounded speculation is rooted in the fact that a disease with identical characteristics as HIV exists among simian species in Africa (SIV). This theory has been wholly rejected by the scientific community. The predominant theory speculates that zoonosis (transference of a disease between species) of HIV occurred when a hunter (or hunters) came into blood contact with a simian infected with SIV.
In addition to And The Band Played On, Patient Zero was a character in the Canadian film Zero Patience, which refutes the myth along with many other misconceptions surrounding the HIV and AIDS. Zero Patience is a Canadian film directed by John Greyson and released in 1993. ...
See also Because the worldwide spread of AIDS has had such a tragic effect on millions of people world-wide, a number of myths, urban legends, and conspiracy theories have arisen surrounding the disease. ...
On October 10, 1999, the American cable network A&E started counting down a list of the 100 most influential people of the millennium compiled by a staff of 360 journalists, scientists, theologians, historians, and scholars. ...
External Links |
Feeds |
Contact