Ryan White
- Born 1971 Kokomo, Indiana, hemophiliac
- 1984: diagnosed with HIV, from a contaminated blood treatment
- 1985: denied re-entry to school, health hazard
- When White tried to return to school, parents and teachers in Kokomo rallied against him; eg, hold auction in school gym to raise funds to keep him out
- "Evidence Suggests Household Contact May Transmit AIDS" - AMA, 1983
- "101 people that had spent three months living in close but non-sexual contact with people with AIDS. The study concluded that the risk of infection was "minimal to nonexistent," even when contact included sharing toothbrushes, razors, clothing, combs and drinking glasses; sleeping in the same bed; and hugging and kissing" [NEJM, 1986]
- Re-admitted April, 1986, but school required him to eat with disposable utensils, use separate bathrooms
- A bullet was fired through the Whites' living room window; they moved.
- Died 1990
- "We owe it to Ryan to make sure that the fear and ignorance that chased him from his home and his school will be eliminated.... It's the disease that's frightening, not the people who have it." - Ronald Reagan, April 11, 1990
- Ryan White Care Act, re-authorized in 2006 for $2.1B
until 2009
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Created by rik@cogsci.ucsd.edu 4/13/08