CSUN And the Band Played Movie Questionnaire

Prior to taking completing this assignment, please watch the movie And The Band Played On: the people and polities of the AIDS outbreak.

And the Band Played on Questions
Prior to taking completing this assignment, please watch the movie And The Band Played On:
the people and polities of the AIDS outbreak. The movie is available through many sources.
You can find the full move on HBO if you have a substricription or rent the movie via YouTube
many other outlets.
You will want to take notes throughout the movie as many questions will relate to the specific
content in the movie. You will also need to use external resources to find additional data to
calculate and compare rates of disease.
Question 1
Recognition of the AIDS epidemic in this country began in the late ’70’s in SF, LA and NY. What clues,
symptoms and opportunistic diseases were observed during that period that signaled the start of a new
infectious disease? Why did researchers find these factors significant?
Question 2
Who is Gaten Dugas and how did he play a key role in the investigation? What factors (personality,
career, risk behaviors) contributed to Gaten’s unique contribution to the AIDS epidemic.
Question 3
Provide an example of how patient confidentiality was (or was not) protected. In this case, how did
access to patient names progress (or inhibit) the HIV investigation?
Question 4
Discuss some of the factors identified in the movie that inhibited the early war against HIV/AIDS? If you
were an epidemiologist in 1985, what recommendations or policies would you have recommended that
could have changed the course of the epidemic?
Question 5
Did the CDC epidemiologists/investigators use active or passive surveillance to find AIDS cases in the
early investigation?
Question 6
a. By the time the first HIV screening test was available in 1985, there were 8,408 reported cases
of AIDS and 6,305 AIDS-related deaths in the US. What was the incidence rate for HIV in 1985?
b. Using external resources (ex: CDC data in the MMWR and Census data), calculate current HIV
incidence rates.
c. Calculate a relative risk for HIV comparing current rates to historic rates presented in them
movie.
d. Using the relative risk, explain the disease trends over time.
e. What explains the change in HIV incidence over time?
Question 7
a. By the time the first HIV screening test was available in 1985, there were 8,408 reported cases
of AIDS and 6,305 AIDS-related deaths in the US. What was the case fatality rate in 1985?
b. Using external resources (ex: CDC data in the MMWR and Census data), calculate current HIV
case fatality rates.
c. Calculate a relative risk to HIV comparing current rates to historic rates presented in them
movie.
d. Using the relative risk, explain the disease trends over time.
e. What explains the change in case fatality?
Question 9
Identify one example of a research study design that was mentioned in the movie. Do you think this
study design was appropriate? Do you think this study design was ethical? Why or why not?
Question 10
Propose a research study that would have helped investigators early in the HIV epidemic?
1. State your research question
2. Identify your study population
3. What study design would you use and why?