The 1984 HIV/AIDS Epidemic, United States Casualties 3,454 deaths
The AIDS epidemic that took off in the 1980’s left the world shaken and shocked over that no one knew why suddenly healthy young people started dying off so quickly. The HIV virus (human immunodeficiency virus) that causes AIDS was identified in 1984, and today, the disease still doesn’t have any cure or vaccine that is permanent, and between 1984-1987, 3.454 people had lost their lives due to the virus. It wasn’t until 1988 when researchers finally managed to do a HIV diagnosis through blood sampling.
Activists in the United States, who were often themselves the victims of HIV and AIDS, were the first militant groups of patients in modern medicine history that began requesting for an increase in research funding. Their movement drew inspiration from the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War protests and the Gay Liberation movement, and since the disease was equal to a death sentence, they wanted to influence the scientists and doctors so they would immediately require increased funding for research. This eventually lead to a global AIDS movement which has now placed the fight against HIV and AIDS high on many countries political agendas.
HIV/AIDS is spread by contact with blood and/or other body fluids, and when it first was discovered, it created mass hysteria and gained huge media attention. The anger was directed towards the LGBTQ community, as most cases who were affected by HIV were gay men.
As of today, 25 million people have died of AIDS, and despite the fact that there are effective antiretroviral drugs, the disease is still a major problem, especially in Africa.