meeting the needs of people with AIDS

We are saying for the first time that, because of the danger to the public health and danger to unknowing partners who may be contaminated with this lethal disease, the physician may be required to violate patient confidentiality. The physician has a responsibility to inform the spouse or known partners. This is more than an option. This is an professional responsibility."

AIDS Activists, Washington DC, 1988

In the USA frustration continued to grow over the slowness of progress in improving access to drugs. When the Presidential Commission on the HIV Epidemic issued its final report in June 1988, it declared that the FDA arrangements were "not meeting the needs of people with AIDS". On October 11th more than 1,000 ACT-UP demonstrators virtually shut down operations at the FDA headquarters.⁵²

Eight days after the ACT-UP demonstration the FDA announced new regulations to speed drug approval.⁵³

The first official needle exchange was started in the US to prevent transmission of HIV through drug use.⁵⁴ A limited experiment started in November in New York City and, at about the same time, the Prevention Point opened in San Francisco.^{55 56} But Congress prohibited the use of federal funds to support needle exchange programs.⁵⁷

On December 1st, the first World AIDS Day took place, with the WHO asking everyone to "Join the Worldwide Effort.