Timeline of HIV
It's been 30 years since the first cases now identified as HIV and during this time we've seen rapid change - life-changing advances in treatment, new laws to protect people living with HIV, and constantly evolving science.
This timeline details how the HIV epidemic has unfolded in the UK since first being discovered, as well as some of the key milestones along the way.
The eighties...
1982
- Terry Higgins is one of the first people in the UK to die of AIDS and the Terrence Higgins Trust is founded
- AIDS is reported in several European countries, including the UK
- The name 'AIDS' (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is created
- Community organisations in the UK promote safer sex among gay men
1984
- Gay men are asked to stop donating blood
- Western scientists become aware that AIDS is widespread in parts of Africa
- The number of people diagnosed with AIDS in the UK exceeds 100
- Scientists identify the virus, which will later be known as HIV, as the cause of AIDS
1986
- HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is adopted as the name of the virus which causes AIDS
- The UK Government launches its 'Don't aid AIDS' campaign
1988
- World AIDS Day is established on 1 December as the first international health day
- A world summit on AIDS is held in London, resulting in the London Declaration on AIDS Prevention
The nineties...
1991
- The red ribbon becomes the international symbol of HIV awareness
- The BBC soap opera Eastenders runs a storyline in which Mark Fowler, a major character, is found to be HIV positive, raising awareness of the condition
- Princess Diana becomes patron of NAT
- Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of rock group Queen, confirms rumours he has AIDS and dies the following day at the age of 45
1993
- Princess Diana organises the first 'Concert of Hope' at Wembley
- The UK Coalition of People Living with HIV (UKC) is launched
- Kenny Everett, a comedian and broadcaster, and Holly Johnson, the former lead singer of pop group Frankie Goes to Hollywood, announce that they are both HIV positive
1995
- The number of AIDS diagnoses in the UK exceeds 10,000 and over 25,000 people in the UK are now living with HIV
- A new class of HIV drugs are made available, paving the way for effective treatment in the future
- The Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) is established
- Kenny Everett dies of AIDS
1997
- Deaths among people living with HIV fall dramatically following wider introduction of ART
- Around 22 million people are living with HIV worldwide, according to estimates made later
- Trials for an HIV vaccine begin
The naughties...
2000
- The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates between 15% and 20% of new HIV infections worldwide are the result of blood transfusions, where the donors were not screened or inadequately screened for HIV
2003
- NAT launches 'Are You HIV Prejudiced?', a campaign bringing attention to the stigma and discrimination still faced by people living with HIV
- The first English conviction for the transmission of HIV takes place but is later appealed
- HIV drugs become more affordable for developing countries
- Results of the first major HIV vaccine trial show promise but are later shown to be ineffective
2006
- Circumcision is shown to reduce HIV infection among heterosexual men
- The number of people living with HIV in the UK is estimated at 73,000
2007
- A case is reported of a San Franciscan man with leukaemia and HIV being cured of HIV after a bone marrow transplant in Germany
- The UK Coalition of People Living with HIV closes
- Terrence Higgins Trust marks its twenty-fifth year
- Around 33 million people are living with HIV, according to revised estimates
- Another major HIV vaccine trial is halted after preliminary results show no benefit
2009
- President Obama announces the removal of the travel ban that prevents HIV-positive people from entering the US
2011
- HIV 'treatment as prevention' is hailed as a potentially revolutionary prevention tool as major trial shows a 96% reduction in HIV transmission risk during sex without a condom when a person is successfully responding to treatment
- Around 90,000 people are estimated to be living with HIV in the UK
1981
- The first cases of AIDS are detected in California and New York
- The first cases are among gay men, then injecting drug users
1983
- AIDS is reported among non-drug using women and children
- Experts become more confident that the cause of AIDS is infectious
1985
- The UK Government commits millions of pounds to the fight against AIDS
- The first AIDS screening tests for use on all donated blood intended for transfusion is approved
- The first International AIDS conference is held in Atlanta, USA
1987
- The UK Government's 'Don't Die of Ignorance' campaign is launched, with leaflets to every home in the country
- The BBC and ITV screen simultaneous broadcasts of a public information film entitled 'AIDS The Facts'
- AZT is the first drug approved to treat HIV it reduces the death rate of HIV-positive people, but is unpredictable and causes severe side effects
- NAT ( National AIDS Trust) is founded
- HRH Princess Diana opens the first HIV ward in a UK hospital and is photographed holding the hand of a patient with AIDS, in what went on to be regarded as a pivotal moment around the world and remains an iconic image today
- The number of people diagnosed with AIDS in the UK exceeds 1,000
- Needle exchanges are first piloted in the UK
- HIV testing is introduced in the UK
1989
- The first HIV awareness materials targeting gay men are produced by the Health Education Authority
1992
- The first combination drug therapies for HIV are introduced, which are more effective than AZT alone and slow down the development of drug resistance
- Sir Elton John establishes the Elton John Foundation
1994
- AZT is shown to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
- Derek Jarman, a film director, artist and writer dies of AIDS
1996
- The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) - a non-profit organisation based in New York City - is set up to speed up the search for an HIV vaccine
- New drug combinations are shown to halt the progression of AIDS, heralding the beginning of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (which will become known as ART) and transforming the lives of many people living with HIV
- Anti-retroviral post-exposure prophylaxis (PeP) is recommended for health-care workers exposed to HIV through accidentally being stuck with a needle or splashed in the eye with blood
1999
- The Government announces plans to offer all pregnant women an HIV test as part of routine screening
- The number of new HIV diagnoses among heterosexuals exceeds those among gay and bisexual men for the first time
2001
- The first criminal trial for reckless transmission of HIV is held in Scotland and a man is convicted
- At a UN Special Session, world leaders set long-term targets on HIV
- The FDA licenses the first nucleic acid test systems intended for screening of blood and plasma donations
- Drug companies abandon their opposition to the generic production of anti-retrovirals
2005
- Anti-retroviral post-exposure prophylaxis (PeP) is recommended for people exposed to HIV from rapes, accidents or occasional unsafe sex or drug use
- After two years of appeals and retrials, a man is given a prison sentence under English law for reckless HIV transmission
- Royal Assent is given to the Disability Discrimination Act, giving legal protection against discrimination for people living with HIV from the point of diagnosis
2008
- NAT marks its twenty-first year
- A controversial Swiss study claims people adhering to ART have a 'negligibly small' risk of transmitting HIV through unprotected sex a concept which will later be known as 'treatment as prevention'
2010
- China lifts its travel ban for people living with HIV
- The CAPRISA 004 microbicide trial is hailed a success after results show the ART-based gel reduced the risk of HIV infection by 40%
- Results from the iPrEx trial show a reduction in HIV acquisition among men who have sex with men taking PrEP
