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Period: to
Timespan
A period spanning three decades, showing some of the most influential events to take place in medical understanding and government response to the AIDS/HIV epidemic. -
SCIENCE
The CDC reports an incident of five young, gay men contracting PCP (Pneumocystis carinii prneumona), later known as the first reporting of AIDS. -
SCIENCE
The CDC receives a flooding of cases relating an unusually aggressive, rare cancer known as KS (Kapsi's Sarcoma) in gay men, to PCP. -
GOVERNMENT
Gay Men's Health Crisis, the first community-based AIDS service provider in the U.S. founded in New York City -
SCIENCE
The CDC uses the term AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) for the first time, and releases the first case definition. -
SCIENCE
CDC reports cases of AIDS in female sexual partners of males with AIDS. -
SCIENCE
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) notes most of AIDS cases are among homosexual men with multiple sexual partners. The report also suggests that AIDS may be caused by an infectious agent transmitted through exposure to blood. -
GOVERNMENT
U.S. Congress passes the first bill that includes funding ($12 million) specifically targeted for AIDS research and treatment. -
SCIENCE
Dr. Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and her colleagues at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, report the first discovery of a retrovirus called Lymphadenopathy-Associated Virus (LAV) that could be the cause of AIDS. -
GOVERNMENT
The Denver Principles statement served as the charter for the founding of the National Association of People living with AIDS -
SCIENCE
CDC identifies all major routes of HIV transmission, ruling out contact, food water, air or environmental surfaces. The development also included that unborn babies could contract AIDS from mothers. -
GOVERNMENT
The WHO holds its first meeting to assess the global AIDS situation and begins international surveillance. -
SCIENCE
The National Cancer Institute announced they had found the cause of AIDS, the retrovirus HTLV-II, identical to LAV and the likely cause. Margaret Heckler, the Secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announces that a vaccine against AIDS will be produced within two years -
SCIENCE
The definition of AIDS is revisited, noting that it is caused by a newly identified virus. -
SCIENCE
The U.S. FDA licenses the first commercial blood test to detect HIV. -
GOVERNMENT
The Dept. of Health and Human Services and the WHO host the first International AIDS conference. -
SCIENCE
International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses declares that the virus causing AIDS will officially be known as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) -
GOVERNMENT
President Ronald Reagan uses the term AIDS publicly for the first time, calling it a 'top priority' and defending allegations that the current research is inadequate. -
GOVERNMENT
The International Steering Committee for People with HIV/AIDS is created. Six years later, this will become the GNP+ (Global Network of People living with HIV/AIDS) -
SCIENCE
The CDC reports AIDS cases are disproportionately affecting African Americans and Latinos, especially in children, those of whom make up 90% of prenatally acquired AIDS. -
GOVERNMENT
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) calls for a $2 billion mass media and public health campaign to curb the spread of the HIV infection. -
SCIENCE
The U.S. FDA approves the first anti-retroviral drug, Zidovudine (AZT). Congress approves $30 million emergency fund for the drug, laying the groundwork for the AIDS Drug Assistance Programme (ADAP) later in 1990. -
GOVERNMENT
FDA issues regulations that allow access to new medications, accelerating drug approval by 2-3 years. -
SCIENCE
FDA approves Western blot blood testing kit, specifically testing for HIV antibodies. -
GOVERNMENT
U.S. Public Health Service add HIV to the immigration exclusion list and mandates testing for all visa applicants. The HIV ban will not be lifted until January 2010. -
SCIENCE
The WHO declare that HIV could be passed to infants through breastfeeding. -
SCIENCE
FDA sanctions first human testing of a candidate vaccine against HIV. -
GOVERNMENT
AIDS becomes the first disease ever debated on the floor of the UN General Assembly. -
GOVERNMENT
First needle-exchange programme in North America established in Washington, San Francisco then establishes world's largest needle-exchange programme. -
GOVERNMENT
U.S. Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop, launches first coordinated HIV/AIDS education campaign by mailing 107 copies of the 'Understanding AIDS' booklet to all American households. -
GOVERNMENT
FDA allows importation of a small quantity of unapproved drugs for those with life-threatening illnesses such as AIDS. -
GOVERNMENT
Abandoned Infants Assistance Act (AIA) becomes law; funds set up for 'boarder babies' left indefinitely at hospitals, many of whom have been prenatally exposed to drugs or HIV. -
GOVERNMENT
First World AIDS Day is observed, supported by the WHO and the UN. -
SCIENCE
NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases endorses a 'parallel track' approach to clinical trials, giving a large number of HIV positive people access to experimental treatments. -
SCIENCE
CDC releases first guidelines for prevention of transmission of HIV. -
GOVERNMENT
CDC reports number of people with AIDS reported cases in the US reaches 100,000. -
GOVERNMENT
$20 million grant allocated for HIV care and treatment through Home-Based and Community-Based Care State grant programme. -
SCIENCE
CDC reports the possible transmission of HIV to a patient through dental procedures performed by an HIV-positive dentist. -
GOVERNMENT
At the 6th International AIDS conference in San Francisco, protests took place against U.S. immigration laws baring people from entering the country. NGO's boycotted the event. -
GOVERNMENT
FDA approves use of zidovudine (AZT) for pediatric AIDS. -
GOVERNMENT
Red ribbon becomes international symbol of AIDS awareness. This is a result of the Red Ribbon Project launched by the Visual AIDS Artists Caucus. -
GOVERNMENT
U.S. Congress passes law requiring states to adopt the CDC restrictions on the practice of HIV-positive healthcare workers, or to develop their own policies. -
GOVERNEMENT
FDA licenses a rapid HIV diagnostic test kit which gives results from a blood test in 10 minutes. -
GOVERNMENT
FDA approves the female condom. -
GOVERNMENT
President Clinton issues an Executive Order establishing a Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. The council was to meet first in July. -
SCIENCE
The CDC adds pulmonary tuberculosis, recurrent pneumonia and invasive cervical cancer to the list of AIDS indicators. -
GOVERNMENT
In this year, AIDS becomes the leading cause of death for all Americans ages 25 to 44. -
SCIENCE
CDC publishes Guidelines for Preventing Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Through Transplantation of Human Tissue and Organs. -
SCIENCE
The U.S. Public Health Service recommends that pregnant women be given the antiretroviral drug AZT to reduce the risk of perinatal transmission of HIV. -
SCIENCE
FDA approves an oral HIV test, the first non-blood-based antibody test for HIV. -
GOVERNMENT
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the first protease inhibitor. This ushers in a new era of highly active antiretroviral therapy(HAART). -
GOVERNMENT
FDA approves the first HIV home testing and collection kit; a viral load test, which measures the level of HIV in the blood. -
GOVERNMENT
FDA approves Combivir®, a combination of two antiretroviral drugs in one tablet, making it easier for people living with HIV to take their medication. -
GOVERNMENT
President Clinton announces that the goal of finding an effective vaccine for HIV in 10 years will be a top national priority, and calls for the creation of an AIDS vaccine research centre at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). -
GOVERNMENT
The UN discusses the impact of AIDS on peace and security in Africa. This marks the first time that the council discusses a health issue as a threat to peace and security. -
GOVERNMENT
UNAIDS, the WHO and other global health groups announce a joint initiative with five major pharmaceutical manufacturers to negotiate reduced prices for HIV/AIDS drugs in developing countries. -
GOVERNMENT
The UN calls for the creation of an international “global fund” to support efforts by countries and organisations to combat the spread of HIV through prevention, care, and treatment, including the purchase of HIV medications. -
GOVERNMENT
The World Trade Organisation announces the Doha Declaration, which affirms the rights of developing countries to buy or manufacture generic medications to meet public health crises such as HIV/AIDS. -
GOVERNMENT
The U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announce a new HIV Prevention Strategic Plan to cut annual HIV infections in the U.S. by half within five years. -
GOVERNMENT
The Global Fund approves its first round of grants to governments and private-sector organisations in the developing world. The grants total $600 million for two-year projects. -
GOVERNMENT
South Africa’s Constitutional Court orders the government to make the HIV drug nevirapine available to all HIV-positive pregnant women and their newborn children. -
SCIENCE
FDA approves first rapid IV diagnostic kit for use in the U.S. that provides results with 99.6% accuracy in as little as 20 minutes. Unlike other antibody tests for HIV, this blood test can be stored at room temperature, requires no specialised equipment, and may be used outside of traditional laboratory or clinical settings, allowing more widespread use of HIV testing. -
GOVERNMENT
President George W. Bush announces the creation of the United States President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR); a $15 billion, 5-year plan to combat AIDS, primarily in countries with a high burden of infections. -
SCIENCE
VaxGen, a San Francisco-based biotechnology company, announces that its AIDSVAX vaccine trial failed to reduce overall HIV infection rates among those who were vaccinated. -
GOVERNMENT
WHO announces the “3 by 5” initiative to bring HIV treatment to 3 million people by 2005. -
GOVERNMENT
U.S. Congress authorises the first $350 million for the United States President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). -
SCIENCE
FDA approves the use of oral fluid samples with a rapid HIV diagnostic test kit that provides the result in approximately 20 minute -
SCIENCE
Biologists announce That they have discovered that the plagues of the Middle Ages made around 10% of Europeans—particularly those in Scandinavia and Russia—resistant to HIV. -
SCIENCE
Scientists announce they have spotted the signs of an HIV-like virus in chimpanzees in southern Cameroon. The discovery bolsters the theory that the first people to contract HIV did so through contact with infected blood from wild chimps in the jungle. -
GOVERNMENT
The U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention release revised HIV testing recommendations, with routinely HIV screening for all adults, aged 13-64, and yearly screening for those at high risk. -
SCIENCE
NIH announces the early end of two clinical trials of adult male circumcision after a review of trial data reveals that medically performed circumcision reduces a man's risk of acquiring HIV through heterosexual intercourse by up to 53%. -
GOVERNMENT
WHO officially recommends circumcision as a way to prevent heterosexual transmission of the AIDS virus, setting the stage for donor agencies to begin paying for the operation. -
SCIENCE
Trials of the most promising HIV vaccine to date [STEP (HVTN 502) and Phambili (HVTN 503)] are halted after an independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board determines that the vaccine is not protecting study subjects against HIV infection. A subsequent study in 2012 will find that the vaccine actually increased participants’ risk of contracting HIV, although the reasons for this are not clear. -
SCIENCE
CDC reports that four transplant recipients have contracted both HIV and hepatitis C from an organ donor—the first known cases in more than a decade of the virus being spread by organ transplants