Passport Health logo
VACCINATIONS|FIND A TRAVEL CLINIC|ADVICE
  • Home
    • About
        • Company History
        • Careers
        • Executive Team
        • Contact Us
        • Customer Feedback
        • FAQ
        • Mission Statement
        • Privacy Policy
        • Blog
    • Close
  • Destination Advice
    • Top Destinations
        • Brazil
        • China
        • Costa Rica
        • India
        • Kenya
        • Peru
        • Philippines
        • South Africa
        • Thailand
        • Vietnam
    • Destination Advice
          • Afghanistan
          • Albania
          • Algeria
          • American Samoa
          • Andorra
          • Angola
          • Anguilla
          • Antarctica
          • Antigua and Barbuda
          • Argentina
          • Armenia
          • Aruba
          • Australia
          • Austria
          • Azerbaijan
          • Azores
          • Bahamas
          • Bahrain
          • Balearics
          • Bangladesh
          • Barbados
          • Belarus
          • Belgium
          • Belize
          • Benin
          • Bermuda
          • Bhutan
          • Bolivia
          • Bonaire
          • Bora Bora
          • Bosnia
          • Botswana
          • Brazil
          • British Virgin Islands
          • Brunei
          • Bulgaria
          • Burkina Faso
          • Burma
          • Burundi
          • Cambodia
          • Cameroon
          • Canada
          • Canary Islands
          • Cape Verde
          • Cayman Islands
          • Central African Republic
          • Chad
          • Chile
          • China
          • Christmas Island
          • Cocos (Keeling) Islands
          • Colombia
          • Comoros
          • Cook Islands
          • Costa Rica
          • Cote d'Ivoire
          • Croatia
          • Cuba
          • Curacao
          • Cyprus
          • Czechia
          • Democratic Republic of the Congo
          • Denmark
          • Djibouti
          • Dominica
          • Dominican Republic
          • East Timor
          • Easter Island
          • Ecuador
          • Egypt
          • El Salvador
          • Equatorial Guinea
          • Eritrea
          • Estonia
          • Ethiopia
          • Falkland Islands
          • Faroe Islands
          • Fiji
          • Finland
          • France
          • French Guiana
          • French Polynesia
          • Gabon
          • Gambia
          • Georgia
          • Germany
          • Ghana
          • Gibraltar
          • Greece
          • Greenland
          • Grenada
          • Guadeloupe
          • Guam
          • Guatemala
          • Guinea-Bissau
          • Guinea
          • Guyana
          • Haiti
          • Hawaii
          • Honduras
          • Hong Kong
          • Hungary
          • Ibiza
          • Iceland
          • India
          • Indonesia
          • Iran
          • Iraq
          • Ireland
          • Israel
          • Italy
          • Jamaica
          • Japan
          • Jordan
          • Kazakhstan
          • Kenya
          • Kiribati
          • Kosovo
          • Kuwait
          • Kyrgyzstan
          • Laos
          • Latvia
          • Lebanon
          • Lesotho
          • Liberia
          • Libya
          • Liechtenstein
          • Lithuania
          • Luxembourg
          • Macau
          • Macedonia
          • Madagascar
          • Madeira Islands
          • Malawi
          • Malaysia
          • Maldives
          • Mali
          • Malta
          • Marshall Islands
          • Martinique
          • Mauritania
          • Mauritius
          • Mayotte
          • Mexico
          • Micronesia
          • Moldova
          • Monaco
          • Mongolia
          • Montenegro
          • Montserrat
          • Morocco
          • Mozambique
          • Namibia
          • Nauru
          • Nepal
          • Netherlands
          • New Caledonia
          • New Zealand
          • Nicaragua
          • Niger
          • Nigeria
          • Niue
          • Norfolk Island
          • North Korea
          • Northern Mariana Islands
          • Norway
          • Oman
          • Pakistan
          • Palau
          • Palestinian Territories
          • Panama
          • Papua New Guinea
          • Paraguay
          • Peru
          • Philippines
          • Pitcairn Islands
          • Poland
          • Portugal
          • Puerto Rico
          • Qatar
          • Republic of the Congo
          • Réunion
          • Romania
          • Russia
          • Rwanda
          • Saba
          • St. Barthelemy
          • Saint Helena
          • St. Kitts and Nevis
          • St. Lucia
          • Saint Martin
          • St. Pierre-et-Miquelon
          • St. Vincent and the Grenadines
          • Samoa
          • San Marino
          • Sao Tome and Principe
          • Saudi Arabia
          • Senegal
          • Serbia
          • Seychelles
          • Sierra Leone
          • Singapore
          • Sint Eustatius
          • Slovakia
          • Slovenia
          • Solomon Islands
          • Somalia
          • South Africa
          • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
          • South Korea
          • South Sudan
          • Spain
          • Sri Lanka
          • Sudan
          • Suriname
          • Swaziland
          • Sweden
          • Switzerland
          • Syria
          • Tahiti
          • Taiwan
          • Tajikistan
          • Tanzania
          • Thailand
          • Togo
          • Tokelau
          • Tonga
          • Trinidad and Tobago
          • Tunisia
          • Turkey
          • Turkmenistan
          • Turks and Caicos Islands
          • Tuvalu
          • U.S. Virgin Islands
          • Uganda
          • Ukraine
          • United Arab Emirates
          • United Kingdom
          • United States
          • Uruguay
          • Uzbekistan
          • Vanuatu
          • Vatican
          • Venezuela
          • Vietnam
          • Wake Island
          • Western Sahara
          • Yemen
          • Zambia
          • Zimbabwe
    • Close
  • Travel Medicine
    • Travel Medical Services
        • Vaccines for Travel
        • Travel Health Consulting
        • Travellers’ Diarrhea Kits
        • Dengue Fever Prevention
        • Malaria Medication
        • Chikungunya Prevention
        • Zika Virus Prevention
        • Ebola Virus
        • Coronavirus
    • Close
  • Vaccinations
    • Key Travel Vaccines
      • Typhoid
      • Yellow Fever
      • Hepatitis A
      • Rabies
      • Japanese Encephalitis
      • Drug Identification Numbers (DIN)
    • Other Travel Vaccines
      • Cholera (Dukoral)
      • Hep A/Typhoid Combo (Vivaxim)
      • Hepatitis B
      • Malaria Information
      • Meningitis
      • Polio
    • Routine Vaccinations
      • Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis
      • Measles – Mumps – Rubella (MMR)
      • Pneumonia
      • Shingles
      • Influenza (The Flu)
    • Close
  • Other Services
    • Additional Services
      • TB Tests
      • Physician Referral Program
    • Close
  • For Employers
    • Corporate Wellness Solutions
      • Travel Medicine & Vaccinations
      • Onsite Flu Clinics
      • Onsite Vaccination Clinics
      • Biometric Screenings
      • Vaccine Credentialing
    • Close
  • Locations
        • Ontario
          Barrie Travel Clinic
          Brampton Travel Clinic
          Carlington - Ottawa Travel Clinic
          Downtown - Ottawa Travel Clinic
          Etobicoke Travel Clinic
          Hamilton Travel Clinic
          Kingston Travel Clinic
          Kitchener Travel Clinic
          London Travel Clinic
          Markham Travel Clinic
          Mississauga Travel Clinic
          North York Travel Clinic
          Oakville Travel Clinic
          Richmond Hill Travel Clinic
          St. Catharines Travel Clinic
          Toronto Travel Clinic
          Whitby Travel Clinic
          Yorkville Travel Clinic
        • Alberta
          Chinook - Calgary Travel Clinic
          Downtown Calgary Travel Clinic
          Downtown Edmonton Travel Clinic
          Southeast Edmonton Travel Clinic
          St. Albert Travel Clinic
        • British Columbia
          Burnaby Travel Clinic
          Downtown Vancouver Travel Clinic
          North Vancouver Travel Clinic
          Richmond Travel Clinic
          Surrey Travel Clinic
        • Quebec
          Clinique Santé-Voyage Centre-Ville Montréal
          Clinique Santé-Voyage Laval
          Clinique Santé-Voyage Ville de Québec
          Clinique Santé-Voyage Westmount
    • Close

The History of AIDS

February 22, 2023 by Ann Rapier

AIDS has had a giant affect on individuals throughout the world.

Initially, numerous people were afraid to hear the term AIDS. There was so much mystery and vast misinformation circulating that made it difficult to understand what was happening. But, the world has reached a point where more information about AIDS is accessible, and people understand it more.

While there is no cure for HIV or AIDS, there are ways to manage the condition due to advancements in science and technology.

Misunderstandings & Discovery

In the 1980’s and early 1990’s, the outbreak of HIV and AIDS spread across America and the rest of the world. Today, more than 70 million people have been infected with HIV. And about 35 million have died from AIDS since the start of the pandemic.

In the beginning, doctors noticed that mainly young healthy males acquired HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). This virus attacks the immune system, specifically CD4 or T cells. Over time, the body cannot fight as many diseases or infections due to the erasure of CD4 cells. That leads to the most severe form of HIV infection – AIDS. People with AIDS are especially vulnerable to cancer and life-threatening illnesses, such as pneumonia.

At first, doctors believed only gay men acquired HIV. Numerous individuals affected identified as gay males. Over time, doctors realized that they were not the only victims of HIV. Drug users and immunocompromised people were also affected by the disease. This discovery led to more research and determination to find solutions.

Where Did AIDS Come From?

Scientists traced the origin of HIV to chimpanzees and the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV). SIV is an HIV-like virus that attacks the immune system of monkeys and apes. In earlier decades, people were hunting chimpanzees for meat and came in contact with the blood containing the virus. Researchers believe the virus mutated into a human form of HIV years later.

Hunters in Africa likely ate infected chimps or had close contact with the infected blood. The virus spread from Africa to Haiti, then the Caribbean, and finally came to New York and San Francisco in the late 1970’s.

The Epidemic

While HIV arrived in America in the late 1970’s, it did not receive public attention until the early 1980’s. The CDC published various articles about healthy men becoming infected with pneumocystis pneumonia. It is a type of harmless pneumonia that does not affect people with un-compromised immune systems.

By September of 1982, the CDC coined the term AIDS to describe the disease for the first time.

Current Research and Developments

2012: The FDA approved pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). It is a preventive drug treatment plan for individuals at high risk of HIV. About 54% of people eligible for HIV treatment that year received it. Today, healthcare professionals treat about 19.5 million people with antiretroviral medications.

2015: The CDC announced that diagnosis and treatment could prevent about 90% of new HIV diagnoses in the U.S.

2017: Several organizations (including the CDC) endorsed the Undetectable = Untransmittable initiative. Due to robust evidence, people who receive antiretroviral medication and have an undetectable viral load cannot pass HIV on to others.

The 2020’s: Currently, only one form of PrEP exists. People can take it once a day if they have a high risk of contracting HIV. Doctors mainly recommend PrEP if someone recently received a negative HIV test result.

Passport Health offers a variety of options that can help prevent STD’s, blood infections and other related diseases. These include hepatitis B, HPV and more. Call or book online to schedule your appointment today.

Written for Passport Health by Shelbi Jackson. Shelbi is a freelance writer from Illinois. She enjoys writing about various topics from health care to music and book reviews. In her free time, you can find her at a live event, taking a stroll outside, or playing with the family dogs.

Filed Under: General Posts

About Us

Passport Health's blog provides travelers and travel enthusiasts with a variety of news and features. We focus on bringing the most interesting and relevant stories right to our readers. Topics range from the vaccines needed for a destination to updates on recent outbreaks, travel advice and much more. Feel free to check out some of our most popular posts, linked in the sidebar, or our most recent posts below

Recent Blog Posts

  • How Did the New Omicron Variant Develop? Why Did it Develop So Quickly?
  • When to Get the Twinrix Vaccine Before Traveling Abroad
  • Will There Ever Be a Cure For HPV?
  • The History of AIDS

Blog Archives

  • About Us
  • Clinical Trials
  • Contact Us
  • PIPEDA Policy and Consent Form
  • Privacy Policy
  • Automatic Data Collection Statement
  • Sitemap
Schedule Your Appointment
Questions? Please call or E-mail Us
Connect With Us:
Passport Health Canada on Facebook
Passport Health on Twitter
Passport Health on YouTube
Passport Health on Instagram
Passport Health on Linked In
Passport Health Feed

Passport Health is an Outlier business Passport Health es una empresa que pertenece al grupo Outlier Passport Health est une entreprise du groupe Outlier Copyright © 2023