Gaëtan Dugas
Encyclopedia
Gaëtan Dugas was a Canadian who worked for Air Canada
as a flight attendant
. Dugas became notorious as the alleged patient zero for AIDS
, though he is now more accurately regarded as one of many highly sexually active men who spread AIDS widely before the disease was identified.
in 1984 traced many of New York City
's early HIV
infections to an unnamed infected homosexual male flight attendant. Epidemiologists hypothesized that Dugas had carried the virus out of Africa
and introduced it into the Western gay community.
Dugas was featured prominently in Randy Shilts
's book And the Band Played On
, which documented the outbreak of AIDS in the United States
. Shilts portrayed Gaëtan Dugas as having almost sociopathic behavior, by allegedly intentionally infecting, or at least recklessly endangering, others with the virus. Dugas was described as being a charming, handsome sexual athlete, who, according to his own estimation, averaged hundreds of sex partners a year. He claimed to have had over 2,500 sexual partners across North America since becoming sexually active in 1972.
According to Snopes.com:
Dugas died in Quebec City
on March 30, 1984 as a result of kidney failure caused by continual AIDS-related infections.
The "Patient Zero" term arose in March 1984, after a CDC
study. The CDC began tracking the sexual liaisons and practices of homosexual men in California and New York and some other states. As Dugas was found to be the center of a network of sexual partners, he was dubbed "patient 0".
However, a number of authorities have since voiced reservations about the implications of the CDC Patient Zero study, and characterisations of Dugas as being responsible for bringing HIV to such places as Los Angeles and San Francisco. In the patient zero study, the average length of time between sexual contact and the onset of symptoms was 10.5 months.
At the time of the study it was not known that the average length of time between initial infection and AIDS is ten years. While Shilts's book does not make such an allegation, the rumour that Dugas was the principal disseminator of the virus became widespread. In 1988, Andrew R. Moss published an opposing view in the New York Review of Books.
A November 2007 article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
dismisses the Patient Zero hypothesis and claims that AIDS transited from Africa to Haiti
in 1966 and from Haiti to the United States in 1969.
Robert Rayford has since been confirmed as the first documented victim of HIV/AIDS in North America, having died at age 16 in May 1969. He reported having experienced symptoms since 1966.
Ardoin Antonio, a Jamaica
n-American shipping clerk who was raised in Haiti
, died in New York on June 28, 1959 of Pneumocystis Pneumonia
, an AIDS
-defining illness. His lungs have still not been tested. He is highly suspected that he had AIDS
.
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
as a flight attendant
Flight attendant
Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
. Dugas became notorious as the alleged patient zero for AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, though he is now more accurately regarded as one of many highly sexually active men who spread AIDS widely before the disease was identified.
Patient Zero allegation
A study published in the American Journal of MedicineAmerican Journal of Medicine
The American Journal of Medicine is the official medical journal of the Association of Professors of Medicine, publishing original clinical research in internal medicine of interest to physicians in academia and in community based practice...
in 1984 traced many of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's early HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
infections to an unnamed infected homosexual male flight attendant. Epidemiologists hypothesized that Dugas had carried the virus out of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and introduced it into the Western gay community.
Dugas was featured prominently in Randy Shilts
Randy Shilts
Randy Shilts was a pioneering gay American journalist and author. He worked as a freelance reporter for both The Advocate and the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as for San Francisco Bay Area television stations....
's book And the Band Played On
And the Band Played On
And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic is a nonfiction book written by San Francisco Chronicle journalist Randy Shilts, published in 1987...
, which documented the outbreak of AIDS in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Shilts portrayed Gaëtan Dugas as having almost sociopathic behavior, by allegedly intentionally infecting, or at least recklessly endangering, others with the virus. Dugas was described as being a charming, handsome sexual athlete, who, according to his own estimation, averaged hundreds of sex partners a year. He claimed to have had over 2,500 sexual partners across North America since becoming sexually active in 1972.
According to Snopes.com:
Dugas appeared to move between denial that whatever he had could be transmitted sexually ("Of course I'm going to have sex. Nobody's proven to me that you can spread cancer"), depraved indifference to his partners' wellbeing ("It's their duty to protect themselves. They know what's going on out there. They've heard about this disease"), and a desire to take others with him ("I've got gay cancer. I'm going to die and so are you"). Possibly his rationale came down to something much simpler — he loved sex, if not his partners. Living under a death sentence, perhaps he was determined to enjoy his last moments on earth, and consequences be damned.
Dugas died in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
on March 30, 1984 as a result of kidney failure caused by continual AIDS-related infections.
The "Patient Zero" term arose in March 1984, after a CDC
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
study. The CDC began tracking the sexual liaisons and practices of homosexual men in California and New York and some other states. As Dugas was found to be the center of a network of sexual partners, he was dubbed "patient 0".
Analysis and criticism
Genetic analysis of HIV provides some support for the Patient Zero theory. Dugas is now believed to be part of a cluster of homosexual men who traveled frequently, were extremely sexually active, and died of AIDS at a very early stage in the epidemic.However, a number of authorities have since voiced reservations about the implications of the CDC Patient Zero study, and characterisations of Dugas as being responsible for bringing HIV to such places as Los Angeles and San Francisco. In the patient zero study, the average length of time between sexual contact and the onset of symptoms was 10.5 months.
At the time of the study it was not known that the average length of time between initial infection and AIDS is ten years. While Shilts's book does not make such an allegation, the rumour that Dugas was the principal disseminator of the virus became widespread. In 1988, Andrew R. Moss published an opposing view in the New York Review of Books.
A November 2007 article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, usually referred to as PNAS, is the official journal of the United States National Academy of Sciences...
dismisses the Patient Zero hypothesis and claims that AIDS transited from Africa to Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
in 1966 and from Haiti to the United States in 1969.
Robert Rayford has since been confirmed as the first documented victim of HIV/AIDS in North America, having died at age 16 in May 1969. He reported having experienced symptoms since 1966.
Ardoin Antonio, a Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n-American shipping clerk who was raised in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, died in New York on June 28, 1959 of Pneumocystis Pneumonia
Pneumocystis pneumonia
Pneumocystis pneumonia or pneumocystosis is a form of pneumonia, caused by the yeast-like fungus Pneumocystis jirovecii...
, an AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
-defining illness. His lungs have still not been tested. He is highly suspected that he had AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
.
See also
- Timeline of early AIDS casesTimeline of early AIDS casesThis article is a timeline of early AIDS cases.An AIDS case is classified as "early" if the death occurred before 18 June 1981, when the AIDS epidemic was formally recognized by medical professionals in the United States.-1959:...
(1959–1979) - Timeline of AIDSTimeline of AIDSThis is a timeline of AIDS, including AIDS cases before 1980.-Pre-1980s:1930s*Researchers believe that sometime in the 1930s a form of simian immunodeficiency virus jumped to humans in central Africa...
(1930–2006) - BugchasingBugchasingBugchasing is a slang term for the alleged practice of pursuing sexual intercourse with HIV infected individuals in order to contract HIV. Individuals engaged in this activity are referred to as bugchasers...
- Zero PatienceZero PatienceZero Patience is a 1993 Canadian musical film written and directed by John Greyson. The film examines and refutes the urban legend of the alleged introduction of HIV to North America by a single individual, Gaëtan Dugas...
External links
- Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia page for Dugas -- he lived in Halifax for several years.