Download Module 1: HIV/AIDS: The Epidemic

Chapter 1:
An Overview of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic
Module 1, Chapter 1
An Epidemic Emerges….
1980-1983
1984-1985
1986-1989
1990-1993
1994-1996
1997-1999
2000-2003
2004Present

1980-1983: After being known as Gay Related Immune Deficiency (GRID), the
syndrome is renamed Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) by the CDC
when it becomes clear that the epidemic is affecting broader populations than
originally thought

1984-1985: The first test (Elisa) to detect HIV antibodies is approved in the United
States, making it possible to detect HIV infection in those who have not yet
developed AIDS

1986-1989: A drug called Azidothymidine (AZT) slows down HIV’s attack on the
immune system (Food and Drug Administration approve AZT for HIV treatment in
1987)

1990-1993: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revises its definition
of AIDS cases to be more inclusive of women and injecting drug users, thus the
number of documented AIDS cases goes up in these populations
Module 1, Chapter 1
An Epidemic Emerges….
1980-1983
1984-1985
1986-1989
1990-1993
1994-1996
1997-1999
2000-2003
2004Present

1994-1996: The use of three antiretroviral medications (Highly Active Anti-Retroviral
Therapy (HAART)) used in combination becomes the new standard of HIV care

1997-1999: Number of American AIDS deaths drops 47% from the previous year: The
drop is credited to the effectiveness of HAART

2000-2003: The United Nations General Assembly on the AIDS epidemic
unanimously passed the resolution declaring AIDS a global catastrophe

2004-present: Drug therapy is found to reduce the spread of HIV from mother to
child; however, HIV rates continue to raise in parts of the world that cannot afford the
expensive antiretroviral therapy
Module 1, Chapter 1
Global Prevalence of HIV
As of 2003,


An estimated 40 million people worldwide were living with HIV
2.5 million people living with HIV were children under 15 years of
age
Module 1, Chapter 1
Global Prevalence of HIV
As of 2003,


Approximately 2/3 of people living with HIV were in Sub-Saharan
Africa
In Sub-Saharan Africa, about 8% of 15-49 year-olds were infected
with HIV
Module 1, Chapter 1
U.S. Regional Disparities in AIDS
Death Rates

Overall the annual number of deaths caused by AIDS is the highest in the
South and death toll continues to rise in this region while other regions
experience a decline
Module 1, Chapter 1
U.S. AIDS Epidemic by
Race and Ethnicity

While men who have sex with men (MSM) remain the largest exposure
group in the U.S., racial and ethnic minorities represent the majority of new
HIV infections
Module 1, Chapter 1
U.S. AIDS Epidemic by Gender


More and more heterosexual adults, especially women, in the U.S. are
getting HIV through unprotected sex
Among men and women, African-American women accounted for ½ of all
HIV infections acquired through heterosexual sex from 1999-2002
Module 1, Chapter 1