Two Heterosexuals Catch A.I.D.S.; More Expected (Press, 14 November 1984)
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Summary: Two Heterosexuals Catch A.I.D.S.; More Expected (Press, 14 November 1984)
In November 1984, concerns were growing in San Francisco regarding the spread of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) after two heterosexual men were diagnosed with the disease. Both men reportedly contracted AIDS through sexual relations with female drug addicts. This marked a significant development, as AIDS had primarily affected homosexual men and intravenous drug users since it was first identified five years prior. Although only two similar cases had been documented in the United States, health officials were anxious about the potential for more cases to emerge. Their worries were supported by research from Africa that indicated heterosexual men were becoming infected through contact with sex workers. In the backdrop of these developments, San Francisco, recognised as the gay capital of the United States due to its substantial homosexual population, had recorded nearly 800 cases of AIDS, averaging two new cases diagnosed daily. The broader statistics for the United States revealed over 6,000 reported AIDS cases, with a grim death rate of approximately 45 per cent. The disease severely impairs the immune system, leading to fatalities from opportunistic infections and various rare cancers. Marcus Conant, who led an AIDS research centre in San Francisco, predicted an alarming rise in cases, estimating that if the current trend continued, California could see up to 17,000 AIDS sufferers by 1987. In a proactive measure to combat the spread of the disease, local health officials had recently shut down bathhouses frequented by homosexuals, citing that such venues facilitated multiple sexual encounters thought to contribute to the transmission of AIDS. The situation underscored the growing complexity of the epidemic and the urgent need for public health responses as the understanding of the disease evolved.
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