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.
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.
Once scientists established blood transmission of HIV, monitoring blood supplies became critical. Hemophilia patients required frequent transfusions, increasing their risk of infection.
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®.
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.
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.
Rumors of exotic new disease among gay men in New York Native
CDC reports 5 cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in Los Angeles
CDC reports 26 cases of Kaposi’s sarcoma in Los Angeles, New York City
Similar cases reported in injection drug…
AIDS service organizations founded in major cities
“GRID” (gay-related immune deficiency) and “AIDS” terms in use
3 cases in hemophiliacs reported
“Homosexuals” asked not to donate blood
AIDS connected to cases in Africa
413 cases of AIDS…
Drs. Luc Montagnier, Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and colleagues discover the viral cause
Denver Principles on the rights of people with AIDS
First candlelight vigils
Term “safe sex” in general use
3,064 cases of AIDS reported, cumulative total