Chapter 1: An Overview of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Module 1, Chapter 1

An Epidemic Emerges… : After being known as Gay Related Immune Deficiency (GRID), the syndrome is renamed Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) by the CDC when it becomes clear that the epidemic is affecting broader populations than originally thought : The first test (Elisa) to detect HIV antibodies is approved in the United States, making it possible to detect HIV infection in those who have not yet developed AIDS : A drug called Azidothymidine (AZT) slows down HIV’s attack on the immune system (Food and Drug Administration approve AZT for HIV treatment in 1987) : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revises its definition of AIDS cases to be more inclusive of women and injecting drug users, thus the number of documented AIDS cases goes up in these populations Present Module 1, Chapter 1

An Epidemic Emerges… : The use of three antiretroviral medications (Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART)) used in combination becomes the new standard of HIV care : Number of American AIDS deaths drops 47% from the previous year: The drop is credited to the effectiveness of HAART : The United Nations General Assembly on the AIDS epidemic unanimously passed the resolution declaring AIDS a global catastrophe 2004-present: Drug therapy is found to reduce the spread of HIV from mother to child; however, HIV rates continue to raise in parts of the world that cannot afford the expensive antiretroviral therapy Present Module 1, Chapter 1

Global Prevalence of HIV As of 2003, An estimated 40 million people worldwide were living with HIV 2.5 million people living with HIV were children under 15 years of age Module 1, Chapter 1

Global Prevalence of HIV As of 2003, Approximately 2/3 of people living with HIV were in Sub-Saharan Africa In Sub-Saharan Africa, about 8% of year-olds were infected with HIV Module 1, Chapter 1

U.S. Regional Disparities in AIDS Death Rates Overall the annual number of deaths caused by AIDS is the highest in the South and death toll continues to rise in this region while other regions experience a decline Module 1, Chapter 1

U.S. AIDS Epidemic by Race and Ethnicity While men who have sex with men (MSM) remain the largest exposure group in the U.S., racial and ethnic minorities represent the majority of new HIV infections Module 1, Chapter 1

U.S. AIDS Epidemic by Gender More and more heterosexual adults, especially women, in the U.S. are getting HIV through unprotected sex Among men and women, African-American women accounted for ½ of all HIV infections acquired through heterosexual sex from Module 1, Chapter 1