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1980s HIV/AIDS Timeline

HIV/AIDS Information for Youth
HIV/AIDS Research Timeline
During the 1980s, AIDS gained increased recognition in the U.S., and by the end of the decade, federal funding for AIDS treatment got many states involved with HIV care for the first time.

AIDS in the 80s: Did You Know?

World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, was observed for the first time in 1988, and the first AIDS Memorial Quilt display on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. happened only a year before, in 1987.

At First, We Didn't Understand
1981

At First, We Didn't Understand

In 1981, there were 270 reported cases of severe immune deficiency among gay men, with 121 individuals dead by the end of the year. Since it was first called GRID or Gay-Related Immune Deficiency by researchers, the public wrongly perceived AIDS as limited to gay men only.
Then, We Learned
1982

Then, We Learned

It wasn’t until 1982 that the CDC used the term “AIDS,” or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. In 1982, the CDC also reported AIDS in an infant who received blood transfusions.

The Government and Citizens Take Action

U.S. Congress, government agencies and citizens do what they can to make positive changes.

1983
1983

In 1983, U.S. Congress passed the first bill that included funding for AIDS research and treatment, but it was still hard for people to understand AIDS. That same year, Joseph A. Sonnabend, a physician and AIDS researcher, was threatened to be evicted from his building in New York City for treating AIDS patients. Sonnabend’s case was the first AIDS discrimination lawsuit.

1984-86
1984-86

By 1984, San Francisco and New York both began to close bathhouses due to high-risk sexual activity occurring. Also in that year, the CDC reported that IV drug users shouldn’t share needles. By 1986, the CDC reported that African-Americans and Latinos were disproportionately affected by AIDS, especially children who made up 90 percent of AIDS cases.

1987
1987

The FDA approved the first antiretroviral drug zidovudine (AZT) in 1987. That year, Princess Diana was also photographed shaking the hand of a patient living with HIV in a London hospital. She went on to break down barriers and advocate for people living with HIV.

Pioneers of Change

Roots for HIV/AIDS advocacy laid down at national, regional and state levels.
Ryan White (image courtesy of Wildhartlivie at en.wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)
1985-88

A Teenage Spokesperson

In 1985, Ryan White, a teenager from Indiana contracted AIDS through contaminated blood used to treat his hemophilia. He was refused entry to middle school and his legal battles brought national attention to AIDS education. In 1988, White went on to become a national spokesperson, appearing before President Ronald Reagan’s Commission on AIDS.

1989

Getting Help to the People

In 1989, Dazon Dixon Diallo founded SisterLove, Inc., the first organization in the southeastern part of the U.S. to focus on women living with or at risk for HIV.

Finally, HRSA granted $20 million for HIV care and treatment through a state grant program. This gave many states a chance to get involved with HIV care for the first time.

Date created: 2017

Acronyms

  • ART (Antiretroviral treatment)
  • CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
  • HOPE Act (HIV Organ Policy Equity Act)
  • HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration)
  • NIH (National Institutes of Health)
  • PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis)
  • UNAIDS (The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS)

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