AIDS/HIV Acronyms
In 1982 the occurrence of the disease in non-homosexuals led the Centre for Disease and Prevention (CDC) to suggest AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) as an appropriate name because people acquired the condition, which led to the deficiency within the immune system. Still very little was known about transmission and public anxiety continued to grow. By the end of 1982 many more people were taking notice of this new disease, as it was clearer that a much wider group of people was going to be affected.
When it began turning up in children and transfusion recipients it was a turning point in terms of public perception. Throughout 1982 there were separate reports of the disease occurring in a number of European countries. In 1983 reports of AIDS among women with no other risk factors suggested the disease might be passed on through heterosexual sex.
References:
Gallo RC, Salahuddin SZ, Popovic M, et al. Frequent detection and isolation of cytopathic retroviruses (HTLV-III) from patients with AIDS and at risk for AIDS. Science. 1984; 224:500-3. [502]
- http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov
- http://www.thebody.com
- http://www.aegis.com
