Aids Anonymous Testing Site history

Congress will not approve the first dedicated funding for AIDS research and treatment until July 1983.

The virus was identified in 1984 by French and American scientists, which meant that companies could begin to develop a test for antibodies produced in response to the virus.

The need to prevent necessary blood transfusions from becoming a growing source of infection meant blood donation centers began using the test in April of 1985 and by the end of July, the blood supply was declared free of AIDS.

In February, AIDS activist Cleve Jones creates the first panel of the AIDS Memorial Quilt to honor his friend Marvin Feldman , who died on October 10, 1986 of AIDS-related illness at age 33.

The FDA approved AZT in 1987, and it was the first drug to combat AIDS.

Angels in America, Tony Kushner’s play about AIDS, wins the Tony Award for Best Play and the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The day was created in 1995 by the National Association of People With AIDS to increase the number of people being tested for HIV, and got off to a successful start.

On November 21, the United States Congress enacts the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act (FDAMA) of 1997, codifying an accelerated drug-approval process and allowing dissemination of information about off-label uses of drugs.

July 14: UNAIDS announces that the targets for Millennium Development Goal #6 —halting and reversing the spread of HIV—have been achieved and exceeded 9 months ahead of the schedule set in 2000.

The report shows an estimated 5.25 million people were receiving antiretroviral therapy in 2009, and an estimated 1.2 million people started treatment that same year – the largest annual increase yet recorded.

In December, President Obama signs the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (PDF, 1.08 MB), modifying the ban on the use of Federal funds for needle exchange programs.

On December 23, the journal Science announces that it has chosen the HPTN 052 study as its 2011 Breakthrough of the Year.

At the end of 2012, UNAIDS estimates that, worldwide, 2.3 million people were newly infected with HIV during the year, and 1.6 million people died of AIDS. Approximately 35.3 million people around the world are now living with HIV, including more than 1.2 million Americans (PDF 477 KB).

July 17: Flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, is shot down over conflict-ridden Ukraine , killing all 298 people aboard, including six prominent scientists and AIDS activists on their way to the 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014 ) in Melbourne, Australia.

May 24: The National Institutes of Health and partners announce they will launch a large HIV vaccine trial in South Africa in November 2016, pending regulatory approval.

December 11: HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau releases a new report showing that clients receiving Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) medical care were virally suppressed at a record level – 87.1 percent – in 2018.

December 7: HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau releases åthe 2019 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Client-Level Data Report, showing that clients receiving RWHAP medical care were virally suppressed at a record level – 88.1 percent – in 2019.