September 3rd: The Day a Dentist Died of AIDS

September 3rd 1990 was the death of AIDS victim Dr. David Acer. His death was not, however, a quiet one. Acer, the Floridian dentist, made the headlines over a decade ago through infecting six of his patients with the HIV positive virus, leading to more fatalities. Twelve years on, it is still unknown and extremely debatable as to whether the infections were transmitted accidently or deliberately...

People have become more aware of the
importance of protecting against AIDS e.g. adverts like this

   Dr. Acer first became aware of his disease in the autumn of 1987, but continued practicing dentistry and removed two molars of his young patient Kimberley Bergalis. Somehow - and this is the part that remains a mystery - Bergalis became infected with the same strain of the AIDS virus as Acer and died in December of 1991, aged 23 years old. There are a plethora of theories developed by scientists and dentists, trying to discover a way in which Acer could have possibly transmitted the disease via molar removal, in a purely accidental nature. Unfortunately, the theories have been viewed unlikely, as most involve the notion of Acer pricking his finger and unknowingly dripping his blood into the patient's mouth. Of course, the alternative is that the dentist performed these infections on purpose, plotting the murders of six of his own patients. There have been theories that some people infected with the virus become angry and frustrated with discrimination and prejudice so attempt to infect others as revenge.
   However, the staff at Acer's dental practice have denied any suspicious behaviour or signs of his infecting patients. They admitted he did not always sterilize his equipment, but compared to other dentists this was normal and generally harmless. After the discovery of Bergalis' infection, Acer issued an open letter urging his patients to get tested for the AIDS virus, but it only found an additional two patients. Over time it became known that a total of six of Acer's patients had contracted the disease, the youngest being 15, and the oldest 65. 
    The case remains a mystery to scientists even today, and if Acer did intend murder, then he certainly covered it up well as no one can figure out how he managed it! Another debate sparked was the question of whether health workers infected with AIDS should be allowed to continue their practice. What do you think? Accident or on purpose? And should AIDS prevent the infected health care employees from doing their job?