It was 30 years ago today that the first report of a new syndrome subsequently known as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) was published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Since then, 1.7 million people in the U.S. are estimated to have been infected with HIV/AIDS, including over 615,000 who have already died and more than 1.1 million who are living with the disease today, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) data. It is estimated that every 9 1/2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is infected with HIV.
The DHHS is using this anniversary to increase awareness of the ongoing threat of HIV/AIDS in the U.S. and to encourage behaviors that enhance prevention.
For more information, see the following sources:
Pneumocystis Pneumonia — Los Angeles. MMWR. 30(21):1-3, June 5, 1981. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/june_5.htm
Frieden, T. R. Commemorating 30 years of HIV/AIDS. Media Statement. June 2, 2011. http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/s0602_hivaids30years.html?source=govdelivery
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 30 Years of AIDS. http://aids.gov/thirty-years-of-aids/
Posted by the Center for Hospital and Healthcare Administration History, (312) 422-2050, chhah@aha.org.
