Arne Vidar Røed, known in medical literature as Arvid Darre Noe, was a Norwegian sailor and truck driver who contracted one of the earliest confirmed cases of HIV/AIDS. His was the first confirmed HIV case in Europe, though the disease was not identified at the time of his death. The virus spread to his wife and youngest daughter, both of whom also died; this was the first documented cluster of AIDS cases before the AIDS epidemic of the early 1980s. The researchers studying the cases referred to Røed as the "Norwegian Sailor" and the anagram "Arvid Noe" to conceal his identity; his true name, Arne Vidar Røed, became known after his death.
Illness and death
Noe began his career in the merchant navy in 1961, at the age of 15. As established by the journalist Edward Hooper, Noe visited Africa twice during his travels; the first time from 1961 to 1962 on board the Hoegh Aronde, along the west coast of Africa to Douala, Cameroon. At that time Noe contracted gonorrhea. By 1968, Røed was no longer a sailor and was working as a long haul truck driver throughout Europe, mainly in West Germany. Beginning in 1968, Røed suffered from joint pain, lymphedema, and lung infections.. Røed's condition stabilized with treatment until 1975, when his symptoms worsened. He developed motor control difficulties and dementia, and died on 24 April 1976. His wife grew ill with similar symptoms and died in December. Although their two older children were not born infected, their third child, a daughter, died on 4 January 1976, at the age of eight and was the first person documented to have died of AIDS outside the United States. Røed, his wife, and his daughter were buried in Borre, Vestfold, Norway.
Later investigations
Approximately a decade after Røed's death, tests by Dr. Stig Sophus Frøland of the Oslo National Hospital concluded that blood samples from Røed, his daughter and wife all tested positive for HIV. Based on research conducted after his death, Røed is believed to have contracted HIV in Cameroon in 1961 or 1962, where he was known to have been sexually active with many African women, including prostitutes. Røed was infected with HIV-1 group O, which is known to have been prevalent in Cameroon in the early 1960s. While he was a truck driver, from 1968 to 1972, Røed engaged in sexual activity with many prostitutes and almost certainly gave some HIV; these women almost certainly passed the disease on to other clients.
