ABSTRACT

It is September, 1988. 1,500 are already dead, with an estimated 40,000 already infected by the virus. The most common cause of death is pneumonia, brought on by damage to the immune system. Herpes-related conditions are also frequently found amongst those infected. In all of this, the mass media responds with haste, sympathy, and intelligent, well informed enquiry. How is the virus transmitted? How can the epidemic best be slowed down or stopped? What chance is there for effective treatments, or a vaccine? There is a tremendous sense of public concern about the terrible effects of the virus, and the press is full of heart-rending stories. Throughout the UK media there is a strong sense of sadness and of loss. Meanwhile the government refuses to make funds available for new research, though junior minister Virginia Bottomley is pictured on the front page of one newspaper-at the London Zoo.2 For no, this is not a story about HIV and AIDS in Britain, but about the fate of seals in the North Sea.