The HIV/AIDS story illustrates how attitudes in society can change, and that progress is possible with collective action.
President John F. Kennedy’s challenge to the United States to land a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s propelled an unprecedented wave of innovation and expertise in science that is still felt today. Thousands of Americans worked collectively to help Neil Armstrong take his first steps on the moon in July 1969, and their efforts generated advances in aeronautics, computers, advanced materials and manufacturing.
Like the space race, the 35-year fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic has had a broad and profound influence. Its impact has been felt not only on health care policies and practices, treatment and scientific knowledge of our immune system, but also on human rights, drug research and regulation, social collaboration and science-based decision-making. It has also strengthened the role of patients in health care and leveraged the expertise and energy of thousands of volunteers and advocates who have helped advance our society and shape our government institutions.
Evolution of an epidemic
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Without medication, it takes generally 10 years before HIV weakens the immune system to the point where a person is likely to contract an AIDS-defining illness such as pneumonia, tuberculosis or cancer.
HIV/AIDS was first recognized in 1981 in Los Angeles. Since then, the virus has learned how to mutate, change and adapt, keeping public health experts on their toes at the local, national and global levels. Initially it was thought to be a disease confined to gay men, and prevention campaigns slowed the number of infections in that community for a time, but the disease was soon found in non-gay people who had received blood transfusions and later in intravenous drug users. Within five years, the World Health Organization had reported 38,401 cases of AIDS from 85 countries.
HIV/AIDS ranks among the worst episodes of disease in Canadian history. In Canada, the latest figures (from 2014) show that more than 26,000 people with HIV have died since the beginning of the epidemic. (By way of comparison, 47,000 Canadian lives were lost in the Second World War, and an estimated 50,000 Canadians died from the 1918-19 influenza pandemic.) The number of new HIV cases in Canada has gradually declined since 1996, now averaging about 2,500 new infections per year; the total number of Canadians living with HIV was approximately 75,500 by the end of 2014. It is estimated that 16,020 more people with HIV remain undiagnosed.