AIDS in Haitian-Americans: A reassessment

The etiology of AIDS has been the subject of extensive speculation and intense research since its recognition in 1981. Early on epidemiological data including the disease's association with blood or blood products, with sexual contact, and with groups at increased risk of hepatitis B suggested the involvement of a transmissible agent, most probably a virus. These epidemiological data and this hypothesis were consistent with the disease as it appeared in homosexual men, intravenous drug users, and hemophiliacs. The occurrence of AIDS in Haitians, however, both in this country and in Haiti, has remained an enigmatic and controversial part of the AIDS mystery. Although Haitians are presently classified as a high risk group, there is much contention concerning the appropriateness of such a designation. In light of the recent identification of a putative etiological agent for AIDS, it seems appropriate to review AIDS as it occurs among Haitians and to reassess the risk of AIDS in this group.