Statement by Edward N. Brandt, Jr., M.D., Assistant Secretary for Health

i at the ROald Reagan Librsa
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entirely through sexual contact, through the sharing of needles
by drug abusers, and, less commonly, through blood and/or blood
products. For these reasons, there is no cause for fear among
the general public that individuals may develop AIDS through
casual contact with an AIDS patient.
I want to stress that I feel a sense of great urgency about
AIDS--urgency for this Department and medical science to exert
maximum effort to identify the cause of this mysterious. and
cruel illness, and to develop effective therapeutic and
preventive measures in the shortest time humanly possible.

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