Arvid Noe
Encyclopedia
Arvid Noe is the alias of a Norwegian
sailor
who is the first person known to have contracted HIV
and died from AIDS
outside of the United States. He is the second person confirmed to have died from AIDS, after the teenager known as Robert R.
, from St. Louis, Missouri, in 1969.
established that Noe had twice visited Africa
as a sailor: first from mid-1961 to mid-1962 when Noe worked on the merchant vessel Hoegh Aronde, which traveled the west coast of Africa to Douala, Cameroon (Noe was treated for gonorrhea
on this journey); and again in 1964, when he reached the port city of Mombasa, Kenya in eastern Africa.
By 1968, Noe was no longer a sailor
and was working as a long haul truck driver throughout Europe (mainly Germany).
From 1966, Noe suffered from joint pain, lymph node swelling, and lung infections. Treatment stabilized his condition until 1975, when Noe's symptoms worsened and he also developed serious problems including motor control difficulties and dementia before his death. His wife grew ill with similar symptoms in 1967, followed by their daughter in 1969. Noe died of Kaposi's sarcoma
in 1976. His wife and 9-year-old daughter suffered the same fate as well; they both died in 1977.
About a decade after Noe's death, tests by Dr. Stig Sophus Frøland of the Oslo National Hospital
concluded that blood samples from Noe, his daughter and wife all tested positive for HIV.
Based on research conducted after his death, Noe is believed to have contracted HIV in Cameroon
in 1961 or '62, where he was known to have been sexually active with many African women, including prostitutes. Noe was infected with HIV-1 group O, which is known to have been prevalent in Cameroon in the early 1960s.
During his tenure as a trucker (from 1968 to 1972), Noe picked up many prostitutes and almost certainly gave some HIV; these women almost certainly passed the disease on to other clients.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
who is the first person known to have contracted HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
and died from AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
outside of the United States. He is the second person confirmed to have died from AIDS, after the teenager known as Robert R.
Robert R.
Robert Rayford , sometimes identified as Robert R. due to his age, was an American teenager from Missouri who was the earliest confirmed victim of HIV/AIDS in North America. His death at the age of 16 baffled doctors at the time...
, from St. Louis, Missouri, in 1969.
Biography
Noe began his career as a sailor in 1961, when he was 15 years old. Journalist Edward HooperEdward Hooper
Edward Hooper is a British journalist best known for his book, The River, which investigates the origins and early epidemiology of AIDS and makes a case for the OPV AIDS hypothesis, which states that the AIDS virus was accidentally created by scientists testing an experimental polio vaccine...
established that Noe had twice visited Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
as a sailor: first from mid-1961 to mid-1962 when Noe worked on the merchant vessel Hoegh Aronde, which traveled the west coast of Africa to Douala, Cameroon (Noe was treated for gonorrhea
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The usual symptoms in men are burning with urination and penile discharge. Women, on the other hand, are asymptomatic half the time or have vaginal discharge and pelvic pain...
on this journey); and again in 1964, when he reached the port city of Mombasa, Kenya in eastern Africa.
By 1968, Noe was no longer a sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
and was working as a long haul truck driver throughout Europe (mainly Germany).
From 1966, Noe suffered from joint pain, lymph node swelling, and lung infections. Treatment stabilized his condition until 1975, when Noe's symptoms worsened and he also developed serious problems including motor control difficulties and dementia before his death. His wife grew ill with similar symptoms in 1967, followed by their daughter in 1969. Noe died of Kaposi's sarcoma
Kaposi's sarcoma
Kaposi's sarcoma is a tumor caused by Human herpesvirus 8 , also known as Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus . It was originally described by Moritz Kaposi , a Hungarian dermatologist practicing at the University of Vienna in 1872. It became more widely known as one of the AIDS defining...
in 1976. His wife and 9-year-old daughter suffered the same fate as well; they both died in 1977.
About a decade after Noe's death, tests by Dr. Stig Sophus Frøland of the Oslo National Hospital
Rikshospitalet
Rikshospitalet is located in Oslo, Norway. From January 1, 2009, the hospital is part of Oslo University Hospital....
concluded that blood samples from Noe, his daughter and wife all tested positive for HIV.
Based on research conducted after his death, Noe is believed to have contracted HIV in Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
in 1961 or '62, where he was known to have been sexually active with many African women, including prostitutes. Noe was infected with HIV-1 group O, which is known to have been prevalent in Cameroon in the early 1960s.
During his tenure as a trucker (from 1968 to 1972), Noe picked up many prostitutes and almost certainly gave some HIV; these women almost certainly passed the disease on to other clients.
See also
- Timeline of early AIDS casesTimeline of early AIDS casesThis article is a timeline of early AIDS cases.An AIDS case is classified as "early" if the death occurred before 18 June 1981, when the AIDS epidemic was formally recognized by medical professionals in the United States.-1959:...
- Robert R.Robert R.Robert Rayford , sometimes identified as Robert R. due to his age, was an American teenager from Missouri who was the earliest confirmed victim of HIV/AIDS in North America. His death at the age of 16 baffled doctors at the time...
— 15-year-old St. LouisSt. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
teenager who was the first confirmed death from AIDS in North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
; died 1969. - Grethe RaskGrethe RaskMargrethe P. Rask , better known as Grethe Rask, was a Danish physician and surgeon who practiced medicine in what was then known as Zaïre...
— DanishDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
physicianPhysicianA physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
infected in 1972 while performing surgerySurgerySurgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
; died in 1977. - Gaëtan DugasGaëtan DugasGaëtan Dugas was a Canadian who worked for Air Canada as a flight attendant. Dugas became notorious as the alleged patient zero for AIDS, though he is now more accurately regarded as one of many highly sexually active men who spread AIDS widely before the disease was identified.-Patient Zero...
— homosexual Canadian flight attendantFlight attendantFlight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
who infected between 245-350 gay men from 1979 until his death in 1984, called Patient Zero by authorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Randy ShiltsRandy ShiltsRandy Shilts was a pioneering gay American journalist and author. He worked as a freelance reporter for both The Advocate and the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as for San Francisco Bay Area television stations....
.