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WHAT IS HIV/ AIDS?
HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. It is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Usually a person has the virus for months or years before any signs of illness appear. It slowly weakens the body's ability to fight off illness. People with AIDS can have serious infections and cancers. These illnesses make them very sick and can eventually kill them. HISTORY OF HIV/AIDS 1981 About 401 cases of this new syndrome were reported in the U.S. The first working name for the epidemic was Gay Related Immune Deficiency (GRID). At this stage, the scientific evidence was missing to identify the infectious agent and to verify the transmission routes. 1987 AZT was licensed by the FDA as the first drug to combat HIV directly. 1991 In November, Magic Johnson announced that he was infected with HIV. 1994 A clinical trial on the use of AZT showed that prenatal HIV transmission from mother to child could be greatly reduced. 1995 The FDA offered preliminary approval to Saquinavir, the first of a new class of antiretroviral drugs called protease inhibitors. Trials were instituted to test “cocktail” (combinations of different classes of drugs) approaches to treatment. 1996 The FDA recommended that blood banks and plasma centers add a test for the p24 antigen. Oral fluid testing using EIA and Western Blot methods was approved by the FDA.
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