Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control |
|
4
An Epidemic Begins Two mysterious illnesses—a rare pneumonia (Pneumocystis) and an equally rare cancer, (Karposi’s Sarcoma)—appear among gay men in Los Angeles and New York. The CDC reports the outbreak as “GRID” (gay-related immune deficiency), the first recognition of a puzzling illness.
AIDS is coined by CDC, as the disease is linked to blood. Heterosexuals, drug addicts and blood-donor recipients are also infected. AIDS cases in the U.S.: 452
Dual Discovery The culprit to AIDS is identified. Frenchman Luc Montagnier isolates the Lymphadenopathy-Associated Virus. Robert Gallo of the U.S. National Cancer Institute then discovers a related virus, HTLV-3. AIDS cases in the U.S.: 3,064
Rock Hudson dies. The first major public figure lost. First Test Dr. Gallo patents the first HIV test kit. Despite its large margin of error, the ELISA Test ushers the way for others. AIDS cases in the U.S.: 15,948.
First Treatment Approved FDA approves Zidovudine (AZT). Administered in high doses, AZT delays the replication of the virus. Side effects: nausea, headache, anemia and bone marrow suppression.
Legislation Arrives Ryan White, a hemophiliac who received contaminated blood in 1984, dies. Congress enacts the Ryan White Care Act, providing funding to care for the infected.
Combination Therapy FDA approves Hivid (Zalcitabine), the first drug used in combination with AZT.
Hollywood In Philadelphia, Tom Hanks plays a gay lawyer dying of AIDS who sues the firm that dismissed him. He wins the Academy Award for Best Actor, and says in his acceptance speech, “The heavens are too crowded with angels.”
Fusion Inhibitors Drugs designed to prevent the entry of HIV (Fuzeon, Enfuvirtide) into cells offer hope. U.S. AIDS cases: 372,267
No Cure 25 million people have died so far—in the United States, over 1.2 million are living with HIV and over 550,000 have died.
40,000 Americans are infected each year. ¼th of those with HIV in the U.S. still don’t know it. 33,200,000 Amount of HIV cases globally
HOME PAGE
|
