Dr. Merle Sande, AIDS pioneer, dies at 68

SEATTLE, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Dr. Merle Sande, an infectious-disease specialist who pioneered AIDS/HIV treatment in San Francisco, has died at age 68.

The Los Angeles Times said Sande died Nov. 14 of multiple myeloma at his home in Seattle.

Sande was the chief of medical services at San Francisco General in 1981 when he began to notice young men being admitted with grave illnesses, the newspaper said.

Under his leadership, the hospital pioneered the first medical ward designed to address the needs of AIDS patients. Sande also collaborated with colleagues to develop the first infection control protocols for AIDS to safeguard medical workers, the newspaper said.

In recent years, Sande served as president of the Academic Alliance for AIDS Care and Prevention, which brings together top AIDS researchers to work with Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, to improve patient education and physician training and conduct research, the newspaper said.