Conference on AIDS held in Atlanta

In January 1985 a number of more detailed reports were published concerning LAV and HTLV-III, and by March it was clear that the viruses were the same.⁸⁷ The same month the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed, for commercial production, the first blood test for AIDS. The test would reveal the presence of antibodies to HTLV-III/LAV, and it was announced that anyone who had antibodies in their blood would not in future be allowed to donate blood.⁸⁸

There were a number of social and ethical issues, as well as certain medical matters, that had to be considered before the new test could be used even to ensure the safety of the blood supply. And even more aspects needed to be considered before the test could be more widely used. Concern particularly centred on issues of confidentiality and the meaning of a positive test result.^{89 90}

"Richard Dunne, director of the Gay Men's Health Crisis, said that the group would not object to the wider availability of the procedure provided that certain safeguards were assured: informed consent, good counselling and confidentiality, 'which means anonymity,' he said. He stressed that the city must prevent insurance companies, employers, schools and others from gaining access to test results."The New York Times ⁹¹

The first small-scale needle and syringe exchange project had been started in 1984 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, but more projects were started in 1985 as a result of growing concerns about HTLV-III/LAV.⁹²

In April more than 2000 people attended the first international Conference on AIDS held in Atlanta. Three major topics of discussion were the new HTLV-III/LAV test, the situation with regard to AIDS internationally, and the extent of heterosexual transmission.⁹³

AIDS is everyone's problem AVERT campaign poster

"Some experts are sceptical that AIDS will spread as rapidly among heterosexuals as it has among homosexuals. Yet other experts, taking their cues from data emerging from preliminary studies from Africa showing equal sex distribution among males and females, are less sure."The New York Times ⁹⁴

Immediately after the conference, the World Health Organization (WHO) organized an international meeting to consider the AIDS pandemic and to initiate concerted worldwide action.⁹⁵

Meanwhile in many countries there was a separate "epidemic of fear" and prejudice.⁹⁶

In the UK tabloid press, AIDS gained many headlines and caused alarm among the public. In some newspapers, the prejudice was obvious. The haemophiliacs were seen as the "innocent victims" of AIDS whereas gays and drug-users were seen as having brought the disease upon themselves.⁹⁷ The fear of AIDS caused firemen to ban the kiss of life, and caused holidaymakers to cut their holiday short for fear of contracting AIDS from an HTLV-III positive passenger on the Queen Elizabeth 2.^{98 99} A 9-year old HTLV-III positive haemophiliac was allowed to attend the local school, but some of the pupils where kept home by anxious parents