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Timeline: AIDS Epidemic
Key events, important people, activism and breakthroughs
by David Johnson and Shmuel Ross
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| 1981 |
- "Gay cancer," later called GRID, (Gay Related Immuno Deficiency) claims 121 deaths in the U.S. since the mid-1970s
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| 1982 |
- Scientists call the new disease AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)
Center for Disease Control says sexual contact or infected blood could transmit AIDS; U.S. begins formal tracking of all AIDS cases
285 cases reported in 17 U.S. states, five European countries
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| 1983 |
- Dr. Robert Gallo of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, and Dr. Luc Montagnier of France's Pasteur Institute independently identify Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) that causes AIDS
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| 1985 |
- Movie actor Rock Hudson dies of AIDS; the resulting publicity greatly increases AIDS awareness
Congress allocates $70 million for AIDS research
First international AIDS conference held in Atlanta
Blood test for HIV approved; screening of U.S. blood supply begins
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| 1986 |
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Soviet Union reports first AIDS case
Surgeon General C. Everett Koop sends AIDS information to all U.S. households
Scientists locate second type of AIDS virus, HIV-2, in West Africa; original virus is HIV-1
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| 1987 |
- FDA approves AZT, a potent new drug for AIDS patients, which prolongs the lives of some patients by reducing infections
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| 1988 |
- World Health Organization begins World AIDS Day to focus attention on fighting the disease
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| 1991 |
- 10 million people worldwide estimated to be HIV-positive, including 1 million in U.S.; more than 36,000 Americans have died of AIDS since the late 1970s
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| 1992 |
- The first clinical trials using combinations of multiple drugs begin
FDA begins accelerated approval of experimental AIDS drugs
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| 1993 |
- U.S. annual AIDS deaths approach 45,000
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| 1994 |
- AIDS-related illnesses are the leading cause of death for adults 25-44 years old in U.S.
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| 1995 |
- Saquinavir, the first protease inhibitor (which reduces the ability of AIDS to spread to new cells) is approved
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Next: 1996-Present |
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Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
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