AIDS Epidemic- Blog 2

A major issue in the early 1980’s was the discovery of the AIDS epidemic. The first official report of the disease that would later be known as AIDS was made on June 5, 1981 and it mentioned cases of the disease in five homosexual men in Los Angeles. AIDS is a disease of the immune system caused by the HIV virus, and it can be transferred through contact of bodily fluids that contain HIV. Common ways to contract the disease are by sexual contact, blood transfusion and contaminated needles. Evidence has shown that AIDS actually originated in Africa and there was proof of people contracting the disease as early as the 19th century. When the disease was first discovered, it was a subject of uncertainty and confusion for a lot of people. It was definitely a debatable issue. Where had it come from? How did you get it? What IS it? When people discovered that homosexuals were the ones who contracted the disease, they were discriminated against and ostracized. Society didn’t understand AIDS and saw those infected as if they were wearing a scarlet letter. Today, however, it has been found that heterosexuals also contract AIDS. The first drug to treat AIDS was introduced in 1987, but there is no drug that can eliminate AIDS entirely. There are approximately 36.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS right now and AIDS continues to be a big issue today. However, it is not an issue a lot of people like to talk about. A lot of people who have AIDS don’t know they have it and it they do, oftentimes they keep it a secret.

In 1983, Ronald Reagan was president and he did not take an active stand in the fight against AIDS. In an article I read, “Reagan’s AIDS Legacy”, it said that Reagan’s response was “halting and ineffective” and “Those infected initially with this mysterious disease -- all gay men -- found themselves targeted with an unprecedented level of mean-spirited hostility.” It also said that “AIDS became the tool, and gay men the target, for the politics of fear, hate and discrimination.” Homosexuals were being discriminated against and society in general worried about the national health crisis which had come about. Now, 25 years later, we have learned more about HIV/AIDS, how to treat it and where it comes from, however, in many ways AIDS still remains a mystery to many. Although it isn’t usually a subject of public discussion, there is still a lot of uncertainty and frustration surrounding this issue.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/06/08/EDG777163F1.DTL
http://www.aids.gov/basic/overview/index.html