Nirali Desai

BPA
And the Band Played On
The book and movie, And the Band Played On is my favorite public health/medical
book and movie. As a public health practitioner for the past 6 years, I have had the unique
opportunity to attend the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health with Dr. Jim
Curran serving as the dean and been able to hear his side of the story. The sweeping
AIDS epidemic and gross neglect is one of public healths darkest moments and
unfortunately, continues to this day.
Interestingly enough, similar to the current medical climate, we see Dr. Don Francis in
Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly known as Zaire) combatting an unknown virus
(later discovered to be Ebola)we quickly realize that, just as Dr. Francis is shocked by
the effects of Ebola in Africa, we too, as a viewer will be equally appalled at United
States response to the AIDS virus. Knowing the history of the AIDS virus, I have always
been disturbed by the governments-the U.S. health agencies (NIH, CDC, etc.) and the
presidential administrations-lack of urgency at the need to curb the infection. Even after
the virus was described in the MMWR, we see that, since the virus affected a
marginalized group, importance regarding disease identification was not a priority.
Unfortunately, funding and resources were not appropriately allocated and therefore, the
disease ran rampant with minimal support. However, I do recognize that advocates in the
gay community were also not common-there is a possibility that if activists in the gay
community were more vocal, then government support may have been stronger. Only
after other groups, such as hemophiliacs, were identified, that a focus on the disease was
considered.
As far as positive points about the movie, I only appreciated the Institut Pasteur
researchers and Dr. Robert Gallos zealous attitudes towards discovering the virus. While
their motives may have been shady, the ultimate outcomes were positive and necessary
for research to move forward.
We are fortunate to live in an era where AIDS is no longer considered a death sentence,
however more research is required for better drug development and an eventual vaccine
and cure. The public response to AIDS was disheartening and in my eyes, stained the
image of our presidential administration and other key figures in the 1980s. As someone
who has worked in infectious diseases and has a desire to work with STDS in the
community, I look forward to utilizing our dark history of AIDS. Similar to the current
Ebola situation, I cannot help but think that this must be similar to the initial AIDS
response. As a future public health medical provider, I embrace the history and only
believe that we must continue to move forward and educate high-risk groups. Similar to
the 80s and 90s, AIDS is still severely stigmatized and requires a great deal of empathy in
dealing with patients. As an individual that has worked with numerous AIDS patients, I

know that I can utilize my skills and the depth of my personal knowledge to provide
education and compassion to the next generation.