BACKGROUND: History of global AIDS epidemic

Jun 8, 2011, 2:06 GMT

Berlin - In June 1981, scientists in the United States reported the first clinical evidence of a disease that would later become known as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS.

Thirty years later, the AIDS epidemic has spread to every corner of the world - killing nearly 30 million people, infecting more than 60 million.

There is neither a vaccine nor a cure. What we do know is that AIDS is preventable. Yet, 2.6 million people contracted new HIV infections in 2009, according to the latest global estimate. We know that AIDS is treatable. But, more than 1.8 million people died in 2009.

This timeline highlights key milestones in the history of the epidemic:

Pre-1981: Scientists now know that AIDS existed for decades before it was discovered or even named. Research published in 2008 suggested that HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has been infecting people for at least 100 years - with the most virulent global strain of HIV spreading among human beings between 1884 and 1924.

June 5, 1981: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports first cases of rare pneumonia in five young gay men in Los Angeles. On July 4, it reports cases of a rare skin cancer, Kaposi's Sarcoma, in young gay men.

1982: CDC creates the term Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome and refers to four 'identified risk factors' - male homosexuality, intravenous drug use, Haitian origin and haemophilia A. - Three transmission modes are later identified: blood, sex, from mother to child.

- Six men form Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), named after what the disease was commonly and erroneously called, in New York, to set up first AIDS hotline. GMHC becomes a pioneer in HIV advocacy.

1983: Dr Luc Montagnier in France isolates lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV), later to become known as Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV. - A heterosexual AIDS epidemic is revealed in central Africa.

1984: In the US, Dr Robert Gallo identifies HIV as the cause of AIDS.

1985: At least one case of HIV has been reported in each region of the world. - First International AIDS Conference held in Atlanta. - US film star Rock Hudson discloses he has AIDS, dies later the same year.

1987: The first drug to treat AIDS, azidothymidine (AZT), is approved for use in the US. - US adds HIV as a 'dangerous contagious disease' to its immigration exclusion list and mandates testing of all applicants.

1988: World Health Organization (WHO) declares December 1 as World AIDS Day. - Women now account for half of adults living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.

1990: Eight million people are living with HIV worldwide.

- About 1 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS.

- To protest US immigration policy, NGOs boycott 6th International AIDS Conference in San Francisco. The 1992 conference, scheduled to take place in Boston, is moved to Amsterdam.

1991: Red ribbon becomes international symbol of AIDS awareness.

1994: Scientists develop first treatment regimen to reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission.

1996: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), set up to advocate for global action on the epidemic, begins operations. - Brazil is first developing country to provide antiretroviral therapy through its public health system.

1997: First public antiretroviral therapy programme in Africa, Drug Access Initiative, is launched in Kampala and later in Abidjan. - 22 million people living with HIV worldwide.

1998: Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) is established in South Africa, to mobilize support for access to treatment by HIV-positive people.

1999: First efficacy trial of a potential HIV vaccine in a developing country begins in Thailand.

2000: 13th International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa, first to be held in a developing nation. - US, UN Security Council declare HIV/AIDS a security threat. - UNAIDS, WHO announce initiative with five pharmaceutical manufacturers to negotiate reduced prices for AIDS drugs in developing countries.

2001: UN General Assembly holds first-ever special session on AIDS. - In Abuja, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan calls for a 'war chest' of 7-10 billion dollars to be spent annually on AIDS in developing countries. - In Qatar, World Trade Organization adopts the Doha Declaration allowing for wider access to HIV treatment through generic drugs.

2002: Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria begins operations. - Botswana begins Africa's first national AIDS treatment programme.

2003: US President George W Bush announces the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a five-year, 15-billion-dollar initiative to tackle HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in worst-hit countries. US Congress reauthorizes PEPFAR in 2008 for five more years and 48 billion dollars. - WHO, UNAIDS launch '3 by 5' initiative to increase the number of people who have access to antiretroviral therapy from 400,000 to 3 million by end-2005.

2004: South Africa begins to provide free antiretroviral treatment.

2005: World leaders at a G8 summit pledge to narrow the gap to universal access of antiretroviral treatment worldwide by 2010. - By year-end, 1.3 million people in low- and middle-income countries have access to antiretroviral therapy.

2009: US lifts HIV travel and immigration ban, to take effect in January 2010. International AIDS Conference to return to the US for the first time in more than 20 years, scheduled to be held in Washington in 2012. - 4 million people in developing countries are receiving treatment, but 9.5 million are still in need.

2010: China, South Korea, Namibia lift travel bans for people living with HIV.

2011: June 5 marks 30 years since first AIDS cases reported.

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