In the early 1980s, the first cases of two rare illnesses, Kaposi's sarcoma and pneumocystic pneumonia, were reported in California and New York. Around this same time, healthcare providers began to report an unusual immune system failure among gay men in the United States. Epidemiologists were generally baffled by the variety of symptoms that they were seeing among male homosexuals. Some used phrases such as gay cancer and gay plague to describe this new disease (Kanabus & Fredricksson, n.d.a).
Although not fully understood at the time, it is now believed that the HIV/AIDS epidemic actually gained momentum in the mid- to late 1970s. Researchers have since identified HIV-positive people and blood samples that existed before 1970 (Mann, 1989). The past 2 decades of scientific responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic have been marked by rapid progress leading to important discoveries. Yet, many of the answers to critical questions about this disease either remain unknown or are jeopardized by diverse political agendas.
Since it surfaced in the early 1980s, a lot has happened in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. See the HIV/AIDS timeline below to learn about some key moments in HIV/AIDS history.
You can also download a PDF of the HIV/AIDS timeline, spanning from the early 1980s to now.
To view the Portable Document Format (PDF) documents, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader; if you do not have it, follow the link below to download a free copy.
Discussion question: AIDS was originally considered a "gay cancer" that affected gay men only. How did that misconception impact early HIV/AIDS incidence, research, and treatment?
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