This Month's HIV/AIDS Facts

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Question: When was the first case of AIDS in the United States?

Basic Answer: The first AIDS cases in the United States were reported in 1981, but the illness was not referred to as "AIDS" until 1982.

Detailed Answer: Doctors in Los Angeles and New York reported unusual cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and Kaposi’s sarcoma in 1981. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) then began tracking a growing number of young men, women and babies who suffered from these illnesses and whose immune systems were nearly destroyed. Their condition was not referred to as "AIDS," however, until late 1982. Scientists have found evidence that the disease existed in the world for some years before it was recognized in 1981.

SOURCES:

• Nature, 1998; vol. 391, no. 5. "An African HIV 1 Sequence from 1959 and the Implications for the Origin of the Epidemic." Letters to Nature. Zhu, 7:, et al.
• DeVita, V., Jr., et al., eds. AIDS: Etiology, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention, 4th ed. 1997.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MMWR, 1981; vol. 30, no. 21. "Pneumocystis Pneumonia -- Los Angeles."

For current statistics, contact the CDC National AIDS Hotline (800/342-AIDS), Spanish (800/344-7432), TTY/TDD (800/243-7889); the CDC Voice and Fax Information System (888/232-3228); the CDC National Prevention Information Network (800/458-5231) or its Web site at www.cdcnpin.org; or the CDC HIV/AIDS Web site at www.cdc.gov/hiv/dhap.htm.