in april 1984, american virologist Fr.Robert Gallo isolated the pathogen, or disease producer, respongsible for AIDS. He called it HTLV-III. In Paris, Dr. Luc Montagnier identified a virus he called LAV. An international panel of scientists determined that both men had found the same virus. It became known as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Blood banks began screening for HIV in 1985, but by then about 29,000 people sad been infected through blood transfusions. Some 12,000 gemophiliace had contracted HIV through blood-clotting products. By1995,447,900 Americand had AIDS; 295,500 had died.