For how long was AIDS known as GRID?

star_gazer

Not long. Gay-related immune deficiency (GRID) (sometimes informally called the gay plague or GRIDS) was the 1982 name first proposed to describe what is now known as AIDS, after public health scientists noticed clusters of Kaposi's sarcoma and Pneumocystis pneumonia among gay males in Southern California and New York City. During the early history of AIDS, an ad hoc organization called Gay Men's Health Crisis was founded to combat what appeared to be a homosexual-only disease produced by sexual promiscuity, intravenous drug use, and/or usage of poppers. Soon after, clusters of Kaposi's sarcoma and Pneumocystis pneumonia were also reported among Haitians recently entering the United States and men with hemophilia, among female sexual partners of AIDS patients, and among blood transfusion recipients with no obvious risk factors. The term AIDS (for acquired immune deficiency syndrome) was proposed in 1982 by researchers concerned with the accuracy of the disease's name. In this new name, scientists were supported by political figures who realized that the term "gay-related" did not accurately describe the demographic that the disease affected. On April 23, 1984, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary announced at a press conference that an American scientist, Robert Gallo, had discovered the probable cause of AIDS: the retrovirus subsequently named human immunodeficiency virus or HIV in 1986. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay-related_immune_deficiency Jan 03 11, 5:09 AM

knud77

I remember the 4 H's early on: homosexuals, Haitians, hemophiliacs and heroin users. Anyone else remember? Jan 03 11, 2:19 PM