In 1981, AIDS was first recognized in gay men by astute clinicians in Los Angeles. Relatively simple epidemiologic studies pointed to an infectious etiology and established transmission routes before the identification of HIV. Subsequent studies showed the virus posed a risk to healthcare workers through occupational exposure, but was not transmitted by casual contact or mosquito bites, and provided the evidence base for health communication messages. Gay advocacy groups played an important role in expediting the approval of new antiretroviral drugs. Funding from sources such as PEPFAR and the Global Fund provided lifesaving treatment to infected persons in low-income countries. Lessons learned from the early AIDS epidemic will be tested by emerging infectious disease threats. Overall, the world is better prepared to respond to these threats now than it was in 1981. The International Health Regulations and the Global Health Security Agenda provide a framework for global health preparedness. The application of new data analytic tools to electronic health records and social media data can facilitate disease detection, and new genetic techniques help us better understand the spread of infectious diseases. Yet, effective health communication to address public fears of contagion remains a challenge, and human behavior remains difficult to change. Ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat will be hard, but is the goal we must pursue.
CROI Conference
