Claim: HIV in America: Studies zero in on trouble spots.
Verdict: SUPPORTS

Retrieved passages:
title: Index case
text: On", which identified Patient Zero as Gaëtan Dugas. Dugas was a flight attendant who was sexually promiscuous in several North American cities, according to Shilts' book. He was vilified for several years as a "mass spreader" of HIV, and seen as the original source of the HIV epidemic among homosexual men. Four years later, Darrow repudiated the study's methodology and how Shilts had represented its conclusions. A 2007 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America by Michael Worobey and Dr. Arthur Pitchenik claimed that, based on the results of genetic

title: Index case
text: by Dr. William Darrow and colleagues at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This epidemiological study showed how "patient zero" had infected multiple partners with HIV, and they, in turn, transmitted it to others and rapidly spread the virus to locations all over the world (Auerbach et al., 1984). The CDC identified Gaëtan Dugas as a carrier of the virus from Europe to the United States and spreading it to other men he encountered at gay bathhouses. Journalist Randy Shilts subsequently wrote about Patient Zero, based on Darrow's findings, in his 1987 book "And the Band Played

title: Gaëtan Dugas
text: the epidemic. A number of authorities have since voiced reservations about the implications of the CDC's Patient Zero study and characterizations of Dugas as being responsible for bringing HIV to cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco. In the Patient Zero study, the average length of time between sexual contact and the onset of symptoms was months. While Shilts's book does not make such an allegation, the rumor 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". In 2016, a group of

title: HIV/AIDS in North America
text: for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC), African-American accounted for 44% of all new HIV infections in the United States between 2010 and 2016, although African-Americans make up roughly 12% of the American population. The extent of the HIV/AIDS crisis within the African-American community is an indication that the solution will also need to be multi-faceted ranging from increasing access to health care to reducing the stigma that HIV and homosexuality has within the African-American community. HIV/AIDS in North America As of 2016, it is estimated that there are 1.5 million adults and children living with HIV/AIDS in North America,

title: Anke Ehrhardt
text: National Institute of Mental Health. Over its more than 20 year history, the HIV Center has conducted groundbreaking work in behavioral research both in the US and abroad. Under Ehrhardt’s leadership, the HIV Center has focused in particular on the intersection of HIV infection with gender, sexuality, and mental health. In recognition of her work, Ehrhardt has been presented with the Distinguished Research Leadership Award from the American Psychological Association in 1986; the Research Award "For Excellence in Research" from the State of New York Office of Mental Health in 1990; the Award for Distinguished Scientific Achievement for 1991 from

title: Nancy Romero-Daza
text: in Monteverde and is currently working on an NSF-funded research project on the impact of tourism on food security in the surrounding geographical area. During her time at the Hispanic Health Council, Romero-Daza studied AIDS, violence, and health issues. She continued her work at the University of South Florida, focusing on substance abuse. Through her research on HIV/AIDS in North America and Africa, Romero-Daza focused on the need for HIV/AIDS research that looks at the social, political, and economic contexts of HIV/AIDS epidemics, concentrating specifically on both the local and global contexts. Romero-Daza's publications address several areas of anthropological inquiry,

title: William Darrow
text: "The Zero Factor," part one of the four-part documentary, "A Time of AIDS", which was shown on the Discovery Channel. At the CDC, Darrow's work primarily focused on the social variables of sexually transmitted diseases, especially among homosexual men. In 1981, his focus shifted from condom use and diseases such as syphilis and gonorrhea to HIV/AIDS. Since then, Darrow has devoted his study and career to finding a cure for HIV/AIDS. Darrow was honored with the 1992 Norwich Native Son Award. William Darrow William "Bill" Darrow, Ph.D. is a Professor of Public Health at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami,

title: Index case
text: analysis, current North American strains of HIV probably moved from Africa to Haiti and then entered the United States around 1969, probably through a single immigrant. However, Robert Rayford died in St. Louis, Missouri, of complications from AIDS in 1969, and most likely became infected before 1966, so there were prior carriers of HIV strains in North America. The phrase "patient zero" is now used in the media to refer to the primary case for infectious disease outbreaks, as well as for computer virus outbreaks, and, more broadly, as the source of ideas or actions that have far-reaching consequences. David

title: Infectious diseases within American prisons
text: to the high rate of HIV that exists within prisons and the carceral system, these sites are crucial in educating individuals for further infection. The National Commission on Correctional Health Care conducted a study evaluating current modes of handling HIV through prevention programs across the US. In particular, one of the researchers explored peer education in the forms of curriculum modeled after the American Red Cross and California's "Reach One, Teach One" program. By discussing methods in which infected individuals can be educated, the spread of infectious diseases can be reduced by an appreciable margin. Although there is near consensus

title: Ann Kurth
text: several years, studying the prevalence of HIV in different communities. They are looking to pilot a SMART intervention to link HIV-positive women youth for treatment, including oral fluid self-testing, staff-aided testing and standard provider testing to determine a population's preference for HIV testing. They use reminder SMS messages and financial incentives to link to care. She has consulted for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNAIDS, United States Agency for International Development and the National Institutes of Health. She was made a fellow of the Institute Of Medicine in 2013. She was a member of the American Academy of Nursing

title: Women's Interagency HIV Study
text: (Atlanta CTSA). WIHS clinical sites are located in and around 10 cities in the United States and are headed by Principal Investigators: Bronx, NY (Kathryn Anastos); Brooklyn, NY (Howard Minkoff, Deborah Gustafson); Washington, DC (Seble Kassaye); San Francisco, CA (Ruth Greenblatt, Bradley Aouizerat, Phyllis Tien); Chicago, IL (Mardge Cohen); Miami, FL (Margaret Fischl, Lisa Metsch); Chapel Hill, NC (Ada Adimora); Atlanta, GA (Igho Ofotokun, Gina Wingood); Birmingham, AL (Michael Saag, Mirjam-Colette Kempf); and Jackson, MS (Deborah Konkle-Parker). The WIHS Data Management and Analysis Center (Stephen Gange, Elizabeth Golub) is located in Baltimore, MD. Each consortium is affiliated with local research

title: HIV/AIDS in the United States
text: status as a factor to be considered in the granting of travel visas, disallowing HIV status from among the diseases that could prevent people who are not U.S. citizens from entering the country. One of the best known works on the history of HIV is 1987's book "And the Band Played On", by Randy Shilts. Shilts contends that Ronald Reagan's administration dragged its feet in dealing with the crisis due to homophobia, while the gay community viewed early reports and public health measures with corresponding distrust, thus allowing the disease to infect hundreds of thousands more. This resulted in the

title: Prevention of HIV/AIDS
text: "harm reduction" programs in the United States and elsewhere around the world. The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a study in partnership with the Thailand Ministry of Public Health to ascertain the effectiveness of providing people who inject drugs illicitly with daily doses of the antiretroviral drug tenofovir as a prevention measure. The results of the study revealed a 48.9% reduced incidence of the virus among the group of subjects who received the drug, in comparison to the control group who received a placebo. The principal investigator of the study stated in the "Lancet" medical journal:

title: Jean Schensul
text: at the Hispanic Health Council in Hartford, Connecticut, an organization she served as associate director for from 1978-1987. In 1987, she founded the Institute for Community Research, an independent research institute conducting prevention research in communities in the United States, India, Peru, Sri Lanka and China, where she has since served as executive director and currently senior scientist. Dr. Schensul is also a research affiliate with the Yale Department of Psychology as well with the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA). Schensul’s scholarly work has focused on studies of health inequalities, particularly those centering on HIV, substance use, mental

title: Zero Patience
text: information. Zero and Burton examine an old blood sample of Zero's under a microscope and discover Miss HIV (Michael Callen), who points out that the original study that was used to label Patient Zero as the first person to bring HIV to North America did not prove any such thing, but instead helped prove that HIV was sexually transmitted, leading to the development of safer sex practices. Under this interpretation, Zero could be lauded as a hero for his candor in participating in that original study. As Burton ponders this, an unknown fluid squirts from the eye pieces of the

title: HIV/AIDS in the United States
text: Hispanic/ Latinos experience higher rates of lower socioeconomic statuses and fewer opportunities than white people. This causes limited access to (higher) education in lower socioeconomic areas. Sex education on HIV prevention has decreased from 64% (2000) to 41% (2014). Out of the 50 states, 26 put a larger emphasis on abstinence sex education. Abstinence only sex education is correlated to increasing rates of HIV especially in teenagers and young adults. With mass incarceration of the African American community, HIV has been spreading rapidly throughout jails and prisons. “Among jail populations, African American men are 5 times as likely as white

title: HIV and men who have sex with men
text: men who reported 4 or more male sexual partners were at increased risk of HIV infection. Study participants who reported amphetamine or heavy alcohol use before sex were more likely to have HIV or other sexually transmitted infections. A Kaiser Family Foundation study indicated that fewer Americans view HIV as a top health priority today compared to ten years ago. In 1996, 25% of Americans viewed HIV as an “urgent problem” to their community but in 2009, only 17% listed it as “urgent.” The percentage of 18- to 29-year-olds that were personally concerned about contracting the virus dropped from 28%

title: Jeffrey T. Parsons
text: for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. Throughout his career, Parsons has authored and co-authored more than 320 peer-reviewed publications, more than 500 conference abstracts, and 11 book chapters as well as having been Editor of one book; his work has received extensive popular media coverage. Parsons has been consistently funded by federal research grants since 1990. In 1996, he founded the Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies & Training (CHEST) to “conduct research to identify and promote strategies that prevent the spread of HIV and improve the lives of people living with HIV.” Since that time, Parsons has received

title: Black AIDS Institute
text: MS; Los Angeles, CA; New Orleans, LA; Oakland, CA; Philadelphia, PA; San Francisco, CA; and Washington D.C. The Institute has created a training program called the African American HIV University, that trains advocates that "work with churches, community centers, black businesses and the black media to influence policy, funding and research." This training is part of a two-year fellowship, that includes a 30-day training with the AIDS Treatment College, as well as four internships completed in different cities around the country. On their website, the Institute has listed Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the

title: William A. Haseltine
text: new institutions to conduct the research necessary to control the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In the early years of the epidemic there was little money or enthusiasm in the scientific community for such work. The threat of the epidemic was not apparent to most, as for example reflected in the Department of Health and Human Service recommendation to Congress in 1986 that only one million dollars be allocated to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for HIV/AIDS research. In the late summer of 1986 the actor Rock Hudson fell in with AIDS in Paris and was airlifted to Los Angeles. Realizing that