Gaetan dugas family

Read Story Transcript. In the late s, Gaetan dugas family flight attendant Gaetan Dugas was openly and proudly gay, described by friends as flamboyant, sexual and generous, with a supportive family and penchant for makeup.

Thank you for visiting nature. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer. In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. Darrow suspected that the cancer-causing agent — later shown to be a complication of HIV infection — was sexually transmitted, but lacked proof. With his cooperation, the scientists definitively linked HIV and sexual activity 1. They referred to Dugas as 'Patient Zero' in their study, and because of a misunderstanding by journalists and the public, the flight attendant became known as the person who brought HIV to the United States.

Gaetan dugas family

This claim has since been proven incorrect. In March , a study tracked Dugas, along with other gay and bisexual men, to indicate his role in a particular cluster of 40 AIDS cases in the United States. A graph included with the paper traced the sequence of infection among 40 men and labelled one of the nodes as "Patient 0" with other nodes including the place of residence and a number indicating the sequence in which they developed AIDS symptoms, such as "NY 14". If the infectious-agent hypothesis is true, Patient 0 may be an example of a "carrier" of such an agent. Two of these three men had been his partners before he had overt signs of Kaposi's sarcoma. The researchers later stated they had originally intended to designate Dugas as "Patient O", with "O" standing for "Out-of-California" but at some point it was changed to a "0". Shilts refers to Dugas as "Patient Zero" and portrays him as having almost sociopathic behaviour by allegedly intentionally infecting, or at least recklessly endangering, others with the virus. Dugas is described as being a charming, handsome sexual athlete who, according to his own estimation, averaged hundreds of sex partners per year. In , a group of researchers led by evolutionary biologist Michael Worobey conducted a genetic study that looked at blood samples taken from gay and bisexual men in and as part of a hepatitis B study, and based on the results of the data, concluded that Dugas was not the source of the virus in the United States. Robert M. But this may be helpful because it says, 'Just because you are the first to be diagnosed doesn't mean you started the epidemic. Contents move to sidebar hide.

This article has been updated.

This story is from The Pulse , a weekly health and science podcast. Find it on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or wherever you get your podcasts. In the spring of , epidemic intelligence officers were almost a year into a troubling investigation. Residents of three major American cities, mostly gay men, were dying young and no one knew why. A handful of researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were tasked with traveling the country to interview patients and spot patterns. Maybe bad drugs were to blame?

Read Story Transcript. In the late s, Quebecois flight attendant Gaetan Dugas was openly and proudly gay, described by friends as flamboyant, sexual and generous, with a supportive family and penchant for makeup. Unashamed of his lifestyle despite lingering societal stigmas, he co-operated with the U. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the early s after he contracted what was initially called "gay cancer" in the media, providing blood samples and the names of 72 of his former sex partners. But as the new documentary "Killing Patient Zero" notes, he became demonized because of his promiscuity — and a typographical error. However, some misinterpreted the "O" as the number "0," as in "patient zero," leading to the long-standing and incorrect implication that Dugas brought AIDS to North America. Shilts, who died in , maintained Dugas wasn't singled out and noted many others were also named in the book. The year-old Lynd, who is openly gay, said he read Shilts's story about Dugas in and thought it was correct until he saw the John Greyson film Zero Patience , which debunks the myth.

Gaetan dugas family

This claim has since been proven incorrect. In March , a study tracked Dugas, along with other gay and bisexual men, to indicate his role in a particular cluster of 40 AIDS cases in the United States. A graph included with the paper traced the sequence of infection among 40 men and labelled one of the nodes as "Patient 0" with other nodes including the place of residence and a number indicating the sequence in which they developed AIDS symptoms, such as "NY 14".

Field console camp australia

With these new test results in hand, researchers claimed this was a classic case of AIDS. Interviews in Los Angeles revealed a number of those dying had sexual contact with one another. PMC In the s, it was particularly easy for the public to direct their anger toward a 'promiscuous' gay man. Watts; et al. So the team collected more than 2, serum samples that health clinics had collected from gay men in and while testing for hepatitis B. Thank you for visiting nature. However, some misinterpreted the "O" as the number "0," as in "patient zero," leading to the long-standing and incorrect implication that Dugas brought AIDS to North America. In media reports, researchers alleged that tissue samples that had been taken from a St. Cite this article Reardon, S. Although Rayford was a remarkably private person, Ted eventually collected information about where the boy lived and where he was buried. Randy Shilts' book, And the Band Played On , which suggested that the flight attendant deliberately spread the disease, was particularly damning. Authority control databases. Long Before 'Patient Zero' ".

By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use. The video with Dugas can be viewed at

Tools Tools. Skip to main content Thank you for visiting nature. He hoped to find some sort of museum exhibit, archives, or a plaque. Go on an adventure into unexpected corners of the health and science world each week with award-winning host Maiken Scott. Rights and permissions Reprints and permissions. CBC Arts. Read Story Transcript In the late s, Quebecois flight attendant Gaetan Dugas was openly and proudly gay, described by friends as flamboyant, sexual and generous, with a supportive family and penchant for makeup. WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. December 8, He could not receive a corresponding number label. Retrieved October 26,