AIDS/Dr. Anthony Fauci (NIH, 1984)

Presents current research, findings, and questions related to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, presents. AIDS first appeared in the United States in 1979 and is defined by secondary complications such as the presence of pneumocystis pneumonia and other opportunistic infections, or Kaposi's sarcoma resulting from an underlying immune deficiency caused by the virus HTLV3. Dr. Fauci notes that AIDS research is not only the first priority of the Public Health Service, but also has occupied the interest and energy of a substantial portion of the global biomedical research community. The lecture covers the history of the disease in the United States as well as circumstantial evidence suggesting that the virus emerged in West Africa. It addresses AIDS' history, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and etiology as well as development in treatments and prevention of the syndrome. Despite a high fatality rate, Dr. Fauci predicts that with the identification and isolation of the underlying cause, scientists will achieve major breakthroughs in vaccine development, antiviral chemotherapy directed against HTLV III, and immunological reconstitution.

Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections: http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101674642

Learn more about the National Library of Medicine's historical audiovisuals program at: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/collections/films