CDC and the History of AIDS

• CDC has played a key role in addressing the HIV epidemic globally.
• CDC has provided surveillance, innovative science, and guidance to its partners to treat and prevent HIV.
• Annual new HIV infections have remained stable due to CDC's work.

Early 1980s

• A new disease appeared that could be transmitted sexually, through blood, injection drug use, and from pregnant women to babies.
• International effects were recognized.

1981

• June 5: The first official reporting of AIDS was a report describing Pneumocystis pneumonia in previously healthy, gay men in Los Angeles.
• June: CDC formed a Task Force on Kaposi's Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections.
• July 3: A report of Kaposi's Sarcoma and Pneumocystis pneumonia occurred in 26 homosexual men in New York and California.

1982

• September 24: CDC used the term "AIDS" for the first time and released the first case definition for AIDS.
• December 10: A report of AIDS was linked to blood transfusions; CDC reported a case of AIDS in an infant who received a blood transfusion.
• December 17: Reports of AIDS hinted at perinatal transmission; MMWR reported 22 cases of unexplained immunodeficiency and opportunistic infections in infants.

1983

• The National AIDS Hotline was established to respond to public inquiries.
• January 7: AIDS was reported in female sexual partners of males with AIDS.
• March 4: CDC announced most cases of AIDS were among homosexual men, injection drug users, Haitians, and people with hemophilia.
• September 2: CDC issued the first recommendations to prevent occupational exposure for healthcare workers.
• September 9: CDC identified all major routes of transmission, stating HIV was not transmitted through casual contact, food, water, air, or environmental surfaces.

1984

• July 13: Needle-sharing was identified as a transmission method.
• Avoiding injection drug use and reducing needle-sharing "should also be effective in preventing transmissions of the virus."
• Project SIDA was launched in Africa by the CDC, along with colleagues from Zaire and Belgium.

1985-1989

• Safeguards were issued for the nation's blood supply.
• The US government organized a massive public outreach.

1985

• January 11: The revised AIDS case definition noted AIDS caused by HIV and blood screening guidelines were issued.
• The first presentation about AIDS in Africa was given at the CDC-hosted International Conference on AIDS in Atlanta, GA.

1986

• October 22: Surgeon General C. Everett Koop issued a report clarifying HIV cannot be spread casually, calling for a nationwide education campaign, increased condom use, and voluntary HIV testing.

1987

• August: CDC held the first national conference on HIV and Communities of Color in New York.
• August 14: Public Health Service Guidelines for Counseling and Antibody Testing to Prevent HIV Infections and AIDS were issued.
• CDC launched the first AIDS-related public service announcement called "America Responds to AIDS."
• CDC expanded work in Africa, beginning work in Côte d'Ivoire and launching the Retrovirus Côte d'Ivoire (CDC Retro-CI).

1988

• "Understanding AIDS" brochure was sent to every household in the US, totaling 107 million copies.

1989

• June 16: CDC issued the first guidelines for preventing Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP).
• June 23: Guidelines were released for Prevention and Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Hepatitis B Virus to Health-Care and Public-Safety workers.

1990-1994

• HIV transmission from healthcare workers was reported.
• CDC issued recommendations for healthcare workers with HIV and for organ transplantation.
• AIDS deaths increased.
• CDC expanded prevention efforts into businesses, labor, and community organizations.

1990

• July 27: CDC reported possible transmission of HIV to a patient through a dental procedure performed by a dentist living with HIV.

1991

• July 12: CDC issued recommendations for healthcare workers with HIV.
• Congress enacted a law requiring states to adopt the CDC restrictions or to develop and adopt their own.

1992

• AIDS became the number one cause of death for US men aged 25-44.
• December 1: CDC launched Business Responds to AIDS to help large and small businesses meet the challenges of HIV and AIDS.
• December 18: CDC said CD4 count below 200 is AIDS.

1993

• A Community-planning process launched to better target local prevention efforts.

1994

• May 20: CDC published guidelines for preventing HIV transmission through tissue and organ transplants.

1995-1999

• Guidelines were issued to prevent opportunistic infections (OIs) and for the use of antiretroviral therapy.
• Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) was introduced as deaths declined.
• US racial/ethnic disparities were notable, as Africa efforts expanded.

1996

• UNAIDS was established.

1997

• The first substantial decline in AIDS deaths in the US was reported. Deaths declined by 47% due to HAART.

1998

• African Americans accounted for 49% of US AIDS-related deaths.
• AIDS-related mortality for African Americans was almost 10 times that of whites.
• April 24: The first national treatment guidelines for the use of antiretroviral therapy in adults and adolescents with HIV were issued.

1999

• July: Leadership and Investment in Fighting an Epidemic (LIFE) was launched to combat AIDS in Africa.
• December 10: A new HIV case definition was released to help state health departments expand their HIV surveillance efforts

2000-2004

• Global AIDS programs and funding increased, as the US emphasized HIV prevention with people living with HIV.

2000

• July: Congress enacted the Global AIDS and TB Relief Act, authorizing $600 million in funding.
• CDC's Global AIDS Program was launched under the LIFE Initiative.

2001

• The CDC announced a new HIV Prevention Strategic Plan to cut annual HIV infections in the US by half within five years.

2002

• A $500 million mother-to-child HIV prevention initiative was started in Africa and the Caribbean.

2003

• Over two-thirds of new HIV infections in the US were from those who did not know they were infected.
• April 18: The CDC announced new initiatives to get people living with HIV diagnosed and into care and treatment.
• $18 billion was allocated to PEPFAR, making it the largest commitment by any nation for an international health initiative dedicated to a single disease

2004

• January 30: The CDC released guidance for HIV testing during labor and delivery for women of unknown HIV status.
• The PEPFAR ART program launched in 13 countries.

2005-2009

• Recommendations on HIV prevention and testing were issued.
• New incidence estimates were released.
• New HIV prevention campaigns were launched for the general public and healthcare providers.
• Global programs grew.

2005

• January 21: Recommendations were released to prevent HIV after non-occupational exposure to the virus (nPEP), which noted that antiretroviral drugs might be beneficial.

2006

• September 22: New HIV testing recommendations were released. All adults and adolescents aged 13-64 should be screened at least once, with annual screening for those at high risk.

2007

• October: Prevention IS Care campaign was launched for healthcare providers to emphasize helping patients stay on HIV treatment.
• The CDC reported over 562,000 people had died of AIDS in the US since 1981.
• PEPFAR and Becton Dickinson strengthened lab capacity in Africa.

2008

• August 6: CDC estimated there were 56,300 new HIV cases each year in the United States.
• Congress reauthorized and expanded PEPFAR funding to $48 billion.

2009

• Global Health Initiative was announced, a 6-year initiative to develop a comprehensive approach to global health, with PEPFAR at its core.
• The Shuga Initiative, partnered with MTV Networks Africa, MTV Staying Alive Foundation, Gates Foundation, and UNICEF, to increase HIV-risk perception, uptake HIV testing, and knowledge of HIV preventions.
• April 7: Act Against AIDS was launched, a multifaceted campaign to reduce HIV incidence in the US.

2010-2014

• HIV infection was removed from the disease list that prevents non-US citizens from entering the country.
• High Impact Prevention was announced and focused funding where the US HIV burden was greatest.
• Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) shown to prevent HIV transmission.
• Racial/ethnic disparities persisted.

2010

• HIV infection removed from disease list that prevents non-US citizens from entering the country.
• September: Enhanced Comprehensive HIV Prevention Planning (ECHHP) project launched in 12 cities with high AIDS burden.

2011

• The Link to High Impact HIV Prevention (HIP) framework released to reduce new HIV infections in the US.
• January 28: Interim guidance issued to health care providers on the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as an HIV prevention strategy among men who have sex with men.
• July 13: CDC reported that drugs to treat HIV can also reduce HIV acquisition.
• August: New HIV incidence estimates released. The annual number of new HIV infections in the United States was approximately 50,000 new infections each year between 2006 and 2009. They increased among young gay and bisexual men.
• September: $55 million was awarded to 34 community-based organizations (CBOs) to expand HIV prevention for young gay and bisexual men of color and transgender youth of color.
• November: 1 in 5 of the 1.2 million people living with HIV did not know they were infected and 1 in 4 were taking HIV medicines regularly and had their virus under control.
• November: Testing Makes Us Stronger, a national HIV testing campaign for young African American gay and bisexual men who have sex with men, launched.
• Treatment of HIV was shown to reduce transmission nearly 96%.

2012

• The CDC transitioned PEPFAR programs to Ministries of Health and indigenous organizations in 13 countries.
• March: Take Charge. Take the Test. an HIV testing and awareness campaign for African American women, launched.
• The CDC examined the role of faith-based organizations in East Africa.
• June: A pilot project was started training pharmacists and retail store clinic staff at 24 rural and urban sites to deliver confidential rapid HIV testing.
• July: Let's Stop HIV Together, a national campaign to combat stigma and complacency about the epidemic, was launched. At the first International AIDS Conference to be held in the United States in more than 20 years, data showed only a quarter of all Americans with HIV had their virus under control, and African Americans and younger people were least likely to receive ongoing care and effective treatment.
• August 10: Interim Guidance on medication to prevent HIV Infection among heterosexually active adults was issued.
• November: Vital Signs noted that young people between the ages of 13 and 24 represent 26% of new HIV infections each year

2013

• June: Reasons/Razones, a national, bilingual campaign that asks Latino gay and bisexual men to get tested for HIV, was launched.
• June 14: Interim guidance on PrEP for people who inject drugs published.
• The "PEPFAR Stewardship and Oversight Act of 2013" reauthorized PEPFAR.

2014

• February: About one-third of blacks living with HIV had their virus under control.
• May 14: New clinical guidelines show healthcare providers should consider pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for patients at substantial risk for HIV.
• Summer: Start Talking. Stop HIV., We Can Stop HIV One Conversation at a Time, a bilingual campaign and HIV Treatment Works campaign were released.
• July: The annual HIV diagnosis rate declined by 30% from 2002-2011.
• September 26: A new report found gaps in care and treatment among gay men diagnosed with HIV.
• October 9: A new report found gaps in care and treatment among Latinos diagnosed with HIV.
• November 25: It was announced that only 30% of Americans with HIV had the virus under control in 2011.

2015-present

• Co-infections were addressed.
• More data was collected about transmission.
• HIV diagnoses data showed progress and challenges.
• PrEP held promise.

2015

• February 25: 184 cases of HIV were linked to injection drug use in Indiana.
• April: 90% of new HIV diagnoses are due to individuals who are undiagnosed, or diagnosed but not on treatment.
• April: A Health Advisory was issued to alert public health departments of a hepatitis C epidemic.
• June: Access to the NHAS increased to 90% of people living with HIV who are aware of their status
• October 8: HIV diagnoses increased sharply among gay and bisexual Latino men despite an overall decline in new HIV diagnoses among Latinos.
• November 24: 1 in 4 gay/bisexual men, 1 in 5 people who inject drugs, and 1 in 200 heterosexuals was expected to be counseled about PrEP.
• December 6: US HIV diagnoses decreased over the past decade from 2005-2014.
• December 2015: The HIV Risk Reduction Tool was released at the National HIV Prevention Conference.

2016

• February: Lifetime risk of HIV was announced at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunisitic Infections. the risk of diagnosis in the United States Overall is 1 in 99.
• February: Increase in PrEP could avert almost 20% of estimated new HIV infections.
• Persistent disparities were shown to contribute to HIV burden among African Americans.
• Gay and bisexual teen males no more likely than heterosexual teen males to engage in several risk behaviors, however, they still were at a higher risk of infection.
• November: The number of people who inject drugs getting HIV has been cut in half in the United States as access to sterile needles needs to improve .

2017

• February: Annual new HIV infections in the U.S. fell 18% between 2008 and 2014.
• July: More people with HIV have the virus under control. In 2014, it was 49% compared to 28% in 2010.
• August: Prescribe HIV Prevention encourage health care providers prescribe PrEP and PEP to prevent new HIV infections.
• September: People living with HIV who are on treatment and have undetectable viral loads have effectively no risk of transmitting the virus to sexual partners.
• November: HIV is being diagnosed sooner after infection than was previously reported.

2018

• March: African Americans and Latinos accounted for the smallest percentage of prescriptions, despite comprising two-thirds of people who could benefit from preventive medicines.
• August: Transforming Health to address preventing HIV and care needs of transgender people was shown.
• November: Cluster detection and response practices to respond to an HIV cluster in West Virginia were attributed to injection drug use.
• estimates of HIV prevalence among transgender people were shown.

2019

• February: Federal government announced Ending the HIV Epidemic.
• March: The vast majority of new HIV infections are transmitted from people who either didn't know were infected or weren't receiving HIV care
• June 27: It it was reported that fewer than 40% of people in the U.S. have been tested for HIV.
• September: The 10-year Act Against AIDS campaign was updated to Let's Stop HIV Together.
• CDC launched HIV Nexus, a website for clinicians to get information about HIV screening, prevention, and treatment.
• October: HHS and CDC awarded $13.5 million for state and local planning for Ending the HIV Epidemic.
• December 3: Key activities to help end the HIV epidemic: Prevent new HIV infections by using PrEP and other tools. Test for HIV, and Treat people who are infected.

2020

• March: An association was shown between increased PrEP coverage and decreased HIV diagnosis rates in recent years.
• March: Frequently asked questions for people with HIV regarding COVID-19 were released.
• June: HIV Risk Reduction Tool was re-released.