how do people get HIV?
HIV, HCV, & Harm Reduction

As the disease still did not have a name, organizations were referring to it in different ways. Some still linked the disease to its initial occurrence in gay men, such as “gay compromise syndrome”. Others called it GRID (gay-related immune deficiency), AID (acquired immunodeficiency disease), “gay cancer” or “community-acquired immune dysfunction”.

Throughout 1982 there were separate reports of the disease occurring in a number of European countries. Meanwhile in Uganda, doctors were seeing the first cases of a new, fatal wasting disease. This illness soon became known locally as ‘slim’. 1,614 cases of AIDS have been diagnosed in the US; 619 have died. First AIDS related death is reported in Oregon.

AIDS is identified as being caused by a human retrovirus named HTLV-III. New evidence is reported that AIDS can be spread heterosexually. AIDS is identified as being spread primarily through heterosexual contact in Africa. Gay men are attacked by the media for infecting “innocent victims”.

In January 1985 the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed, for commercial production, the first blood test for AIDS. The test would reveal the presence of antibodies to HTLV-III/LAV, and it was announced that anyone who had antibodies in their blood would not in future be allowed to donate blood. There were a number of social and ethical issues, as well as certain medical matters, that had to be considered before the new test could be used even to ensure the safety of the blood supply. All blood and plasma centers begin screening the country’s blood supply for HIV antibodies. And even more aspects needed to be considered before the test could be more widely used.

In April of 1985 more than 2000 people attended the first international Conference on AIDS held in Atlanta. Three major topics of discussion were the new HTLV-III/LAV test, the situation with regards to AIDS internationally, and the extent of heterosexual transmission. “Some experts are skeptical that AIDS will spread as rapidly among heterosexuals as it has among homosexuals. Yet other experts, taking their cues from data emerging from preliminary studies from Africa showing equal sex distribution among males and females, are less sure.” – The New York Times Immediately after the conference, the World Health Organization (WHO) organized an international meeting to consider the AIDS epidemic and to initiate concerted worldwide action. The term HTLV-III/LAV is officially renamed HIV, Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Ryan White, a 13 year old who got AIDS from a blood transfusion, is banned from going to school. Massive fear and misinformation spreads across the world. People are afraid of getting AIDS from casual contact, door knobs and dishes, despite mounting evidence to the contrary.

US Surgeon General Koop releases his report calling for AIDS education for children of all ages and urges widespread use of condoms. Safer sex practices are developed nation wide.

The first clinical trials of AZT are initiated by the National Institute of Health. Trials end early due to researchers concern that people in the placebo group are dying rapidly, while those on AZT are not. Unapproved drugs are beginning to be smuggled into the US from Mexico and other countries. People with AIDS are desperate for treatment and begin large scale lobbying of the US Federal Government to fund more research and treatment.

Researchers realize that virtually all cases of HIV infection ultimately lead to full-blown AIDS, but only after a long incubation period. Clinical trial groups are forming around the country. Women of childbearing age are excluded from most clinical trials unless they agree to use birth control.

Zidovudine (AZT) is marketed for use by people with AIDS. The cost is $10,000 a year, making it the most expensive drug in US history. Many people can’t afford it and numerous insurance companies refuse to pay for it. Congress appropriates $30 million for AZT for the uninsured.

Northwest Orient Airlines refuses passage to people with AIDS. Activists stage a national phone-in reservation cancellation. After two days of nearly empty planes, Northwest changes its policy.

A family in Florida are burned out of their home by arsonists seeking to keep their AIDS-afflicted sons out of the local school system. Similar incidents are occurring around the US and other countries around the world.

The CDC expands the definition of AIDS to include dementia and wasting syndrome. President Reagan makes his first public address on AIDS. ACT UP holds mass civil disobedience on Wall Street. Liberace dies of AIDS. Education about HIV/AIDS spreads to Latino and Black communities nationwide. In the US 50,378 cases of AIDS are reported to date and 40,849 people have died.

The organization started by Elizabeth Taylor, amfAR, funds research to evaluate the effectiveness of pilot needle exchange programs in San Francisco and Portland, Oregon. These early studies indicate that making sterile syringes available can help reduce HIV infection rates among injection drug users. They also petition Congress, who passes the first comprehensive AIDS legislation, called the Hope Act of 1988. While some attitudes begin to change, many still do not. Another battle is waged and lost in California to quarantine people with AIDS, and neither Democratic or Republican political nominees address AIDS in 1988 presidential campaigns.

The US government mails 107 million copies of “Understanding AIDS” to American households. The fourth International Conference on AIDS reports that women are one of the fastest growing groups of people being infected with HIV. The FDA implements new regulations designed to make promising therapies available sooner for patients with life-threatening illnesses.

Americans for AIDS Research (amfAR) funds 16 Community-Based Research Trial (CBRT) grants to fight AIDS. The National Institute of Health (NIH) funds 17 community-based AIDS clinical research units as part of a federally sponsored research program. As a result of the CBRTs, the FDA approves treatments for AZT-induced anemia and Mycobacterium avium complex and a new method of preventing pneumonia.

Under tremendous pressure from people with AIDS and supporters, Burroughs Wellcome lowers the price of AZT by 20%. ACT UP/New York disrupts trading on the New York and Paris Stock Exchanges calling for a boycott of the company. It takes four days for Burroughs Wellcome to lower the price.

CDC and W.H.O. surveillance data indicate that while Black and Latina women constitute just 19% of all U.S. women, they represent 72% of U.S. women diagnosed with AIDS. In 1990 increasing pressure is put on the US and world governments to address women’s health issues related to HIV/AIDS.

President Bush signs the American’s with Disabilities Act, enacted by Congress. This act protects people with disabilities, including those with HIV/AIDS infection from discrimination.

The Red Ribbon campaign is in the spotlight. Jeremy Irons was the first known celebrity to wear a red ribbon at the 1991 Tony Awards. The red ribbon becomes an international symbol of AIDS awareness.

Congress enacts the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) Act of 1991 to provide housing assistance to people with HIV/AIDS.

Former L.A. Laker Earvin “Magic” Johnson announces he has tested positive for HIV during a routine physical exam, and is retiring from pro basketball.

The CDC cuts funding for 23 of 27 national programs of AIDS prevention in minority communities.

The US FDA licenses a 10 minute diagnostic test kit which can be used by health professionals to detect the presence of HIV.

Both major party conventions feature moving speeches from people with AIDS. AIDS activists are cordoned off and beaten by police as the protest outside the Republican Convention.

Florida teenager Ricky Ray dies of AIDS-related illness. The 15-year-old hemophiliac and his two younger brothers sparked a national conversation on AIDS after their court battle to attend school led to boycotts by local residents and the torching of their home.

President Clinton establishes the first White House Office of National AIDS Policy.

The FDA approves a female condom which offers women a barrier product to protect themselves without relying on the cooperation of their partner. The FDA refuses to allow testing of female condom for anal sex because sodomy is illegal in many states.

At the 9th International Conference on AIDS in Berlin, data from a large scale European study on AZT shatters hopes that early intervention with AZT and other antivirals are useful for early-intervention against AIDS and will lead to increased survivals.

HBO premieres “And the Band Played On”, the film rendition of Randy Shilts’ account of the scientific, political, and human story of the first five years of AIDS.

In 1993, ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, tennis pro Arthur Ashe, and actor/activist Michael Callen die of AIDS.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expand the case definition of AIDS, declaring those with CD4 counts below 200 to have AIDS, distinguishing, for the first time, the difference between being “HIV positive” and having “AIDS”.

AIDS is the leading cause of deaths for young adults in 64 U.S. cities. 411,887 AIDS cases have been diagnosed, and 241,787 have died.