Page 36 - 2018-2019 Directory

AIDS HISTORY 34 ©2018 GLPages.com
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First cases of unusual immune system failures are medically identified in the US - mainly amongst gay men and injecting drug users. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is defined for the first time.
Terry Higgins dies, aged 37, on 4th July, at St Thomas’ Hospital, London - one of the first people in the UK to die as a result of AIDS. The Terrence Higgins Trust (www.tht.org.uk) is set up shortly afterwards by a group of Terry’s friends.
In France, Dr. Luc Montagnier isolates Lymphadenopathy-Associated Virus (LAV), which later becomes known as Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV.
A heterosexual AIDS epidemic becomes evident in Central Africa.
AIDS HISTORY
In the US, Dr. Robert Gallo identifies HIV as the cause of AIDS (something some African politicians tragically still fail to accept). HIV cases are reported on every continent.
HIV antibody tests become more widely available, not least for screening blood donations.
Rock Hudson becomes the first global icon to disclose that he has HIV.
Crusaid is founded in the UK.
The first therapy for AIDS - Azidothymidine (AZT) - enters use in the US.
The National AIDS Trust (www.nat.org.uk) is founded in the UK.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declares 1st of December as World AIDS Day.
Women account for half of all adults living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.
Around 1 million children have already lost one or both parents to AIDS.
Gay Men Fighting AIDS, latterly GMFA (www.gmfa.org.uk), is founded in the UK.
The Red Ribbon becomes the international symbol of AIDS awareness.
Scientists develop the first treatment regimen to reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission.
British film director Derek Jarman dies.
An HIV outbreak in Eastern Europe is detected amongst injecting drug users.
The (albeit US-dominated) United Nations’ HIV/AIDS program, UNAIDS, becomes operational.
Evidence of the effectiveness of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) is demonstrated, soon revolutionizing treatment around the globe - but mainly in developed countries.
HAART starts to become publicly available in parts of Africa.
39 pharmaceutical companies (shamefully) file a law suit against the South African government to contest legislation aimed at reducing the cost of medicines.
The first HIV vaccine trials start in Thailand.
UNAIDS & WHO announce the Accelerating Access Initiative, a joint program with pharma companies, supposedly to increase HIV treatment in developing countries.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan calls for an annual US$ 7-10 billion “war chest” to combat AIDS in developing countries, albeit the bulk of which will - for better or worse - end up lining the pockets of giant pharma companies’ shareholders, or backing ineffective abstinence-based programs.
HIV is the leading cause of death worldwide for those 15-59 years of age.
FDA approves the first rapid finger-prick AIDS test
Former cabinet minister Chris Smith (now Lord Smith) reveals he has known he has been HIV positive since 1987.
At the G8 Summit in Scotland, world leaders pledge to aim for universal access to anti-retroviral treatment worldwide by 2010. As of the end of 2005, only 1.3 million people in low and middle-income countries are receiving such treatment.
53,000 people are estimated as living with HIV/AIDS in the UK, where around 16,000 lives have already been claimed since the beginning of the epidemic. Around a third of those living with HIV do not know of their infection. Around three quarters of those actually infected in the UK (as opposed to those diagnosed here, but infected abroad) are men who have sex with men.
Around 40 million people are currently living with HIV worldwide today; additionally, over 25 million have already died of AIDS. Around 5 million are newly infected worldwide in the last 12 months (about 14,000 a day), most of them in Africa: one in four adults in Zimbabwe and Botswana already have HIV.
Preliminary figures suggest 8,000 new diagnoses can be expected in the UK - more than in any year since the epidemic began.
Despite growing numbers of people infected with HIV, a National AIDS Trust report finds people in the UK are generally less aware of how HIV is transmitted than they were five years ago, with a shocking 9% drop in those who know that HIV can be passed on via condomless sex between two men, and a 12% drop in those who know it can be transmitted via condomless sex between a man and a woman. Moreover, 8% of people still claim to have zero knowledge about how HIV is transmitted.
Only one in five (19%) of UK men who are ignorant of their HIV status know about PEP - a treatment which can be highly effective in eliminating HIV if commenced shortly after infection.
AIDS HISTORY 1981 - 2018