|
Experts have recently concluded that HIV originated in chimpanzees in Africa. Evidence suggests that the simian form of HIV, known as SIV, entered the human species when monkeys bit humans or humans consumed monkey meat or brains. 1959: While the first HIV outbreak was reported in 1981, it was recently confirmed that a man from Africa died from complications of HIV in 1959. 1982: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) coined the term AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) for the newly discovered syndrome. About 1,600 cases were diagnosed one year after the first outbreak in 1981, resulting in close to 700 deaths. 1983: Thirty–three other countries had confirmed cases of the syndrome. Researchers at the Pasteur Institute in France isolated a virus that they believed was related to the outbreak of AIDS. However, a year later the U.S. government announced that Dr. Robert Gallo isolated a virus that he also claimed was responsible for AIDS. 1985: Researchers confirmed that HTLV–III and the Pasteur retrovirus were the same virus. However, Gallo was credited with its discovery. An international committee of scientists renamed the virus HIV, and the first test for HIV was approved in 1985. 1987: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first anti–HIV drug, called zidovudine (Retrovir ®). By the end of 1987, there were 71,000 confirmed cases of AIDS, resulting in over 40,000 deaths. 1990: Congress enacted the Ryan White Care Act, which provided government sponsored funds for the care of HIV infected people. 1996: Antiretrovirals called protease inhibitors were introduced. 1997: The results of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group study 076 suggested that taking zidovudine during pregnancy and at the time of delivery drastically reduced transmission of the virus from mother to child. 2000: South African president Thabo Mbeki publicly questioned the efficacy of HIV medications and doubted that HIV causes AIDS. In response, the international scientific community issued the Durban Declaration at the International Aids Conference, offering proof that HIV and AIDS are connected. 2001: The first fusion inhibitor, called enfuvirtide (Fuzeon ®), was made available to HIV patients. 2003: At the end of 2003, an estimated 1,039,000 to 1,185,000 people in the United States were living with HIV/AIDS. 2004: Two new combination drugs, emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Truvada ®) and abacavir sulfate/lamivudine Epzicom ®, were made available to the public. Two new protease inhibitors, atazanavir sulfate (Reyataz ®) and fosamprenavir calcium (Lexiva ®), were also released in 2004. 2005: In 2005, 4.9 million people were newly diagnosed with HIV. An estimated 40.3 million people were living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. 2006: India surpassed South Africa as having the world's largest HIV population. HIV infection rates in the United States remain fairly steady, while other STDs are on the rise. As of January 2006, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since 1981.
 |
Learn
