Levy flasks and cell counter
In 1983 Dr. Jay Levy and his lab colleagues at the University of California at San Francisco also isolated the virus. Levy used this equipment to collect cell cultures and tally cells during his HIV research.
HIV test kit and pamphlet
In 1985 the first commercial HIV test became available. Using a technique developed in the 1960s and 1970s, the test identified HIV antibodies. It also sparked intense debates about privacy and the potential misuse of test results.
Red Cross message to blood donors
Once scientists established blood transmission of HIV, monitoring blood supplies became critical. Hemophilia patients required frequent transfusions, increasing their risk of infection.
AZT drug vials
Azidothymidine—AZT—brought the first real hope for treatment. It prolonged some patients’ lives by slowing replication of HIV. It was introduced in 1987 under the name Retrovir®.
Beaded AIDS ribbon
A red over-lapping ribbon indicates support for people with HIV and AIDS. It was the 1991 creative brain-child of artist-activist Frank C. Moore, II, who died of AIDS in 2002.
Yellow Sharps Container
Inventors have developed products to reduce the risk of infection. Health care workers now routinely disable or dispose of used needles in secure “sharps” containers.
Giant HIV microbe
As illustrated by this plush toy virus, fear of HIV infection is not what it was thirty years ago.
1981
<ul><li>Rumors of exotic new disease among gay men in <em>New York Native</em> </li>
<li>CDC reports 5 cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in Los Angeles </li>
<li>CDC reports 26 cases of Kaposi’s sarcoma in Los Angeles, New York City </li>
<li>Similar cases reported in injection drug users and heterosexual women </li>
<li>281 cases of AIDS reported, cumulative total</li>
</ul>
1982
<ul><li>AIDS service organizations founded in major cities</li>
<li>“GRID” (gay-related immune deficiency) and “AIDS” terms in use </li>
<li>3 cases in hemophiliacs reported </li>
<li>“Homosexuals” asked not to donate blood </li>
<li>AIDS connected to cases in Africa </li>
<li>413 cases of AIDS reported, cumulative total</li>
</ul>
1983
<ul><li>Drs. Luc Montagnier, Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and colleagues discover the viral cause</li>
<li>Denver Principles on the rights of people with AIDS </li>
<li>First candlelight vigils </li>
<li>Term “safe sex” in general use </li>
<li>3,064 cases of AIDS reported, cumulative total</li>
</ul>