History of HIV
HIV and AIDS are relatively new diseases if you compare them to the number of other illnesses that have been infecting our populations over hundreds and thousands of years. These viruses were recognized as diseases recently, and they have become major concerns in countries all over the world. Because of the short time it has been around, there is no cure or vaccine as of yet for the viruses, but scientists and medical researchers are working day in and day out to help put a stop to the suffering out there. It is important that citizens around the world have some familiarity with HIV and AIDS, even if they are not personally affected by them. You never know if somebody you love will be infected by these deadly diseases, and there are millions of people that have already died or are infected currently. Here is some history on HIV and AIDS for those of you out there that may not be as aware as you should be.
1. 1981 – This is when the first cases of HIV and AIDS were recognized as legitimate diseases. At first, these viruses were thought to only affect the homosexual community. That is why the first name for them was GRID, or gay-related immune deficiency. Soon after, reports came in from different countries that non-homosexuals were also being affected by HIV and AIDS, which quickly made the term ‘GRID’ obsolete.
2. 1982 – Reports were released linking blood transfusions with the spread of HIV and AIDS. This was affecting sufferers of hemophilia significantly, and soon the viruses were known as ‘the 4H disease’. The reason it was called that is because it was thought to only infect homosexuals, Haitians, hemophiliacs, and heroin users.
3. 1985 – HIV and AIDS are really brought into the public eye after movie star Rock Hudson passed away after living with the diseases. After his death, President Ronald Reagan addressed the world and talked about HIV and AIDS openly. He let the public know that these diseases are a real threat, and although treatments may be available in the future, there were none available at the time.
4. 1991 – Basketball superstar Magic Johnson retires because of his HIV diagnosis. Johnson was apparently keeping his disease from developing into full blown AIDS by using drugs that help slow the damage to the immune system. Many people believed that Magic Johnson’s case was a miracle or that he had some secret cure to the viruses, but that is not what happened. Doctors say that anybody that has health care could have the same access to the drugs that Johnson uses.
These viruses have been doing damage to citizens for a while now. There is much more to the history of HIV and AIDS than what is detailed here, so if you have any interest in finding out more about it, there are plenty of resources available online to those who search for it.
