This week marks the 25th anniversary of the first documented case of Aids.
In June 1981, the CDC published a report about the occurrence, without identifiable cause, of a rare lung infection Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in five men in Los Angeles.
Because there was so little known about the transmission of what seemed to be a new disease, there was concern about contagion, and whether the disease could by passed on by people who had no apparent signs or symptoms. Knowledge about the disease was changing so quickly that certain assumptions made at this time were shown to be unfounded just a few months later. For example, in July 1981 Dr Curran of the CDC was reported as follows:
"Dr. Curran said there was no apparent danger to non homosexuals from contagion. 'The best evidence against contagion', he said, 'is that no cases have been reported to date outside the homosexual community or in women'"
Just five months later, in December 1981, it was clear that the disease affected other population groups, when the first cases of PCP were reported in injecting drug users.
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According to UNaids
By the end of 2005, 40.3 million people were living with HIV/AIDS, including 17.5 million women and 2.3 million children under the age of 15.
4.9 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2005, including 700,000 children. Of these, 3.2 million new infections occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2005 alone, a total of 3.1 million people died of HIV/AIDS-related causes.
World-wide, only one in ten persons infected with HIV has been tested and knows his/her HIV status.
A report by UNAids released on Tuesday estimated that 38.6m people are living with HIV worldwide.
Be safe. Get informed. Do something.