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The Beginning of the AIDS Epidemic

More than 1 million people in the U.S. have HIV/AIDS (as of 2010). In the U.S. and worldwide, there is still stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. These attitudes are rooted in the history of the AIDS epidemic.

  1. History

    • The origins of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are not wholly known. It is believed the virus originated from two different viruses in chimpanzees, and was passed, via blood, to a human. The earliest cases of HIV can be traced to a Norwegian sailor, a teenager in St. Louis, Missouri and a man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the first case being recognized in 1959.

    Time Frame

    • In 1981, five men in Los Angeles were found to have HIV. Although the disease was found in Haitians and hemophiliacs, gay men with HIV/AIDS got the most media attention. Homophobia related to HIV/AIDS led to misinformation about how the disease was spread, which hampered prevention and education about the disease.

    Effects

    • It was not until 1985, four years after the first reported American cases, and after nearly 16 cases had been reported, that then-President Ronald Reagan first recognized the disease was quickly becoming an epidemic.

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