In the US, it was feared that drinking communion wine from a common cup could transmit AIDS, and Ryan White, a 13-year old haemophiliac with AIDS, was barred from school.101 102
"In 1985, at 13, Ryan White became a symbol of the intolerance that is inflicted on AIDS victims. Once it became known that White, a haemophiliac, had contracted the disease from a tainted blood transfusion, school officials banned him from classes."Time Magazine 103
The CDC removed Haitians from their list of AIDS risk groups, in light of information that suggested both heterosexual contact and exposure to contaminated needles played a role in transmission.104
On September 17th, President Reagan publicly mentioned AIDS for the first time, when he was asked about AIDS funding at a press conference. At the same press conference he was also asked a question whether he would send his children if they were younger to school with a child who has AIDS.
"It is true that some medical sources had said that this cannot be communicated in any way other than the ones we already know and which would not involve a child being in the school. And yet medicine has not come forth unequivocally and said, 'This we know for a fact, that it is safe.' And until they do, I think we just have to do the best we can with this problem. I can understand both sides of it."Ronald W. Reagan 105
Drugs such as ribavirin, thought to be active against HTLV-III/LAV, were being smuggled from Mexico into the USA.106
The actor Rock Hudson died of AIDS on October 3rd 1985. He was the first major public figure known to have died of AIDS.107
All UK blood transfusion centres began routine testing of all blood donations for HTLV-III/LAV in October.108
For the Global Surveillance of AIDS, the WHO had initially used the definition of AIDS as developed in the USA in 1982. But this definition was difficult to use in developing countries where there was a lack of sophisticated laboratory tests. So in order to help with the surveillance of AIDS, particularly in Africa, a new WHO definition was adopted in October. This definition of AIDS became known as the Bangui definition.109
Towards the end of the year, Western scientists became much more aware of the "slim disease" that had become increasingly common in South West Uganda since 1982. Studies found that most cases were among promiscuous heterosexuals, the majority of whom tested positive for antibodies to HTLV-III/LAV. The site and timing of the first reported cases suggested that the disease arose in neighbouring Tanzania. Some scientists who studied slim concluded: "Although slim disease resembles AIDS in many ways, it seems to be a new entity."110
. However, others thought differently:
"[Evidence] suggests that slim disease cannot be distinguished from AIDS and ARC [AIDS related complex] by extreme weight loss and diarrhoea. Thus slim disease may not be a new syndrome but simply identical with AIDS as seen in Africa."111
In December 1985, the Pasteur Institute filed a lawsuit against the National Cancer Institute to claim a share of the royalties from the NCI's patented AIDS test.112
During the year, knowledge of transmission routes was to change again, when the first report appeared of the transmission of the virus from mother to child through breast feeding.113 The first case of AIDS was also reported in China, and AIDS had as a result been reported in every region in the world.114
By the end of 1985, 20,303 cases of AIDS had been reported to the World Health Organisation.115 In the USA 15,948 cases of AIDS had been reported,116 and in the UK 275 cases
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