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Witness History: The Aids 'patient zero' myth

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29/11/2021 GMT

The Aids 'patient zero' myth

BBC World Service - Witness History, The Aids 'patient zero' myth

How Gaetan Dugas was mistakenly identified as the 'patient zero' of the Aids epidemic.

In the early days of Aids, a misunderstanding made one man the face of the epidemic. Canadian air steward Gaetan Dugas developed the symptoms of HIV/Aids in the early 1980s, but a misreading of scientific data led to him being identified as 'patient zero', giving the mistaken impression he was responsible for the spread of the disease. Lucy Burns speaks to researcher William Darrow, who worked on the epidemic, and to Gaetan Dugas' friend Rand Gaynor. 

Photo: Gaetan Dugas. (Credit: Rand Gaynor)

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