The History of HIV/AIDS
Where have we been...where are we going? The history of HIV is filled with triumphs and failures; living and death.
The HIV timeline stretches before us, marking our past and reaching toward out
future. But where will that future lead? This HIV/AIDS timeline began early in
1981. In July of that year, the New York Times reported an outbreak of a rare
form of cancer among gay men in New York and California. This "gay cancer" as
it was called at the time was later identified as Kaposi's Sarcoma, a disease
that later became the face of AIDS. About the same time, emergency rooms in New
York City began to see a rash of seemingly healthy young men presenting with
fevers, flu-like symptoms, and a rare pneumonia called Pneumocystis. This was
the beginning of what has become the biggest health care concern in modern history.
1959 While we talk about AIDS being 25 years old, in actuality it is believed that
the syndrome has been around far longer. In 1959, a man residing in Africa died
of a mysterious illness. Only decades later, after examining some blood samples
taken from that man, was it confirmed that he actually died from complications
related to an HIV infection.
1981 As stated above, 1981 saw the emergence of Kaposi's Sarcoma and Pneumocystis
among gay men in New York and California. When the Centers for Disease Control
reported the new outbreak they called it "GRID" (gay-related immune deficiency),
stigmatizing the gay community as carriers of this deadly disease. However, cases
started to be seen in heterosexuals, drug addicts, and people who received blood
transfusions, proving the the syndrome knew no boundaries.
1983 Researchers at the Pasteur Institute in France isolate a retrovirus that they
believe is related to the outbreak of AIDS. Thirty-three countries around the world
have confirmed cases of the disease that was once limited to New York and California.
Controversy arises a year later when the US government announces their scientist,
Dr. Robert Gallo isolates a retrovirus HTLV-III, that he too claims is responsible
for AIDS. Two years later it's confirmed that HTLV-III and the Pasteur retrovirus are
indeed the same virus, yet Gallo is still credited with its discovery. An international
committee of scientists rename the virus HIV.
1984 A Canadian flight attendant, nicknamed "patient zero" dies of AIDS. Because of
his sexual connection to several of the first victims of AIDS, it is believed that he is
responsible for introducing the virus into the general population.
- 8000 confirmed cases in the US
- 3700 confirmed deaths
1985 The controversy surrounding the HIV virus continues when Robert Gallo's lab
patents an HIV test kit that later is approved by the FDA. The Pasteur Institute sues
and is later awarded rights to half of the royalties from the new test. At the same
time, HIV and AIDS enters the public eye when Rock Hudson dies of AIDS and Ryan
White is barred from his elementary school in Indiana.
1987 - A Treatment Arrives After 6 years of watching people die, a new treatment emerges that is hailed as
the first huge step in beating HIV & AIDS. The drug Retrovir (AZT, Zidovudine) is FDA
approved and begins to be used in high doses to treat people infected with HIV. And
not a minute too soon. Politically, HIV and AIDS is a topic that most avoid. But in
response to public pressure, President Ronald Reagan finally acknowledges the HIV
problem and for the first time uses the term "AIDS" in a public speech.
- 100,000 to 150,000 cases of HIV and AIDS
1990 After years of fighting to stay in school, and raging an even harder battle against
the ravages of HIV, Ryan White dies at the age of 19. That year, The Ryan White Care
Act is enacted by Congress to provide government sponsored funds for the care of
HIV infected people.
- people living with HIV and AIDS rises to 1 million
1992 - Combination Therapy Arrives The FDA approves the first drug to be used in combination with AZT. The addition of
the drug Hivid marks the beginning of HIV combination therapies. But a more disturbing
development centers around HIV tainted blood. Three French senior health officials
knowingly sell HIV tainted blood, resulting in the infection of hundreds of transfusion
recipients, most of whom have hemophilia.
1993 People who are infected and scientists alike are confused and concerned when a
British study, the Concorde Trials, offers proof that AZT monotherapy does nothing to
delay progression to AIDS in asymptomatic patients. As a result, the AZT debate
emerges, with one side proclaiming AZT saves lives and the other denouncing AZT as
useless; the "rethinker" movement is born.
The Birth of the Protease Inhibitor
1996 - Protease Inhibitors Arrive Treatment options take another step forward with the introduction of power HIV-
fighting drugs called Protease Inhibitors. The use of these drugs in combination with
existing HIV drugs proves effective in controlling HIV. These new "triple-therapies"
give patients and scientists new hope in eliminating HIV. But that hope is dashed
when a year later, scientists find HIV "hides" in reservoirs in the body, making
total elimination of the virus virtually impossible.
1997 In late 1996 data from AIDS Clinical Trials Group study 076 (ACTG 076) made it
clear that Retrovir (AZT) used during pregnancy and at the time of delivery drastically
reduces transmission of HIV from mother to child.
1998 More than 15 years after the prediction there would be of an AIDS vaccine within
2 years, the first human trials in the United States of an AIDS vaccine begins. In a
desperate attempt to get affordable HIV drugs to the hardest hit areas of Africa,
European drug companies ignore US patent laws and begin making generic versions of
HIV medications. In response, US drug companies file lawsuits to stop such practices.
And sadly, 17 years after AIDS entered our culture, an African AIDS activist is beaten
to death by neighbors after publicly admitting she was HIV infected.
2000 The AIDS "rethinker" movement gets international attention and support when
South African president Thabo Mbeki questions the use and effectiveness of HIV
medications as well as offering doubt that HIV causes AIDS. In response, the
international scientific community issues the DurbanDeclaration, offering proof
that HIV and AIDS are indeed connected.
2001 As scientists grow concerned over medication toxicity and effectiveness, US
pharmaceutical companies drop their patent lawsuits, paving the way for European
drug companies to manufacture and distribute cheaper HIV medications to the hardest
hit areas of Sub-Saharan Africa. Cautious optimism emerges with the release of the
first entry inhibitor, Fuzeon. Since 1981, 21 million people worldwide have died
of AIDS, including 17 million from Sub-Saharan Africa.- 31 million people are now living with HIV worldwide, the majority of whom are
from African nations
2004 As the emphasis on simpler therapies continues, regimen pill burdens are greatly
improved with the release of two new combination drugs, Truvada and Epzicom as
well as two new protease inhibitors, Reyataz and Lexiva. In December, the first
generic formulation of an HIV medication is approved by the FDA, instilling hope
that HIV medication prices may soon come down.
2005HIV statistics have become sobering to say the least.- 4.9 million people were newly infected in 2005
- 40.3 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS.
And as the numbers continue to climb, work on an HIV vaccine has for the most part
failed. Once thought to be "just around the corner" it has become obvious in 2005 that
an HIV vaccine is still years away. Medication advances continue but long term side
effects of HIV medication use are becoming more evident. So much so that experts now
agree that for many patients, waiting to start HIV medications is the best course of
action. Finally, 2005 saw a rise in HIV rates on college campuses and risky behavior
among those people already infected is still a problem. Positive prevention messages are
becoming a priority as syphilis and other STD rates of infection continue to rise sharply.
2006 Where are we today? Experts have concluded that HIV has it origins in the jungles of
Africa among wild chimps. Experts go on to report that evidence suggests that the simian
form of HIV (SIV) entered the human species and became HIV by way of monkey bites or
ingesting monkey meat and brains. While the origins of HIV are more clear, the means to
pay for HIV care and medications has become more complicated. A revamping of the
Medicare / Medicaid systems has made getting medications difficult for many. The
United States Congress has yet to reauthorize the largest source of care funding
in the US. The Ryan White Care Act. While nobody expects the Act to disappear, it
is evident that funding will be cut to almost every program receiving Ryan White Care
Act dollars. Yet the epidemic continues. Recently, India surpassed South Africa as the
world's largest HIV population and in the US infection rates of HIV are steady while
STDs are on the rise. It is obvious that much work needs to be done in the coming years
to finally put a halt to the HIV timeline.
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