On June 5th, 1981, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention published a report
detailing an outbreak of a rare form of cancer
known as Kaposi's Sarcoma, which was affecting
groups of previously healthy homosexual men
in large metropolitan cities in the United
States. In the following years, as hundreds,
then thousands of individuals became sick
with Kaposi's and other equally debilitating
opportunistic infections that doctors couldn't
cure; millions were forced to grapple with
fear and prejudice. While the politicians
faltered in calming the fear, science faltered
in finding cures and preventive medicine for
this new epidemic called AIDS.
Today, 25 years later over 15 million men, women and children worldwide have died of AIDS and an estimated 40 million people are living with HIV. AIDS impacts people of all ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations.
AIDS
AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, is caused by HIV- Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This virus is transmitted from one individual to another through the exchange of body fluids. It weakens the immune system, causing the body to lose its capacity to ward off infection.
In the last twenty-five years, the disease has killed over 500,000 people in the United States alone. AIDS is a communicable disease, indiscriminately affecting people regardless of their race, age, gender, culture or sexual orientation.
Today, more than 25 years after the first reports of the
Kaposi's outbreak, much progress has been
made in the medical field regarding the treatment
of HIV. With the continuing development of
new medications such as protease inhibitors,
people living with HIV and their friends and
families have reason to hope the virus may
eventually become manageable.
Although optimism is not uncalled for, it should
not in any way detract from the fact there
is much work still to be done.
Across the United States*:
- It's estimated that over 1 million people
are living with HIV/AIDS.
- Almost 40,000 new infections were reported
in 2005.
- Only a small minority of Americans living
with HIV are under a doctor's care.
- Over 16,000 people died in 2005.
*Source:
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Across the World**:
