Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Reuters - November 23, 2004

Here is a short chronology of major developments in AIDS:

1981 - Outbreaks of two rare illnesses are reported among young homosexual men in the United States. The disorders, a respiratory infection called pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and a cancer, Kaposi's sarcoma, usually infect older men.

1981-1983 - Scientists start to recognize the emergence of a new disease that destroys the body's immune system.

1984 - The Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV, is identified as the cause of the disease.

- Scientific papers suggesting that AIDS is spread through blood are published.

1985 - Scientists develop diagnostic test for the virus.

- First World AIDS Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

1987 - Zidovudine (AZT), the first treatment for HIV, is launched.

1988 - December 1 is designated World AIDS Day.

1991 - Videx (ddl), like AZT a member of a class of drugs called reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTIs), is launched.

1994-1995 - Zerit (d4T) and Epivir (3TC), other RTIs, are launched, increasing the choice of treatments.

1996 - Triple drug cocktails including protease inhibitors that block the replication of HIV in the body are revealed at the 11th World AIDS Conference in Vancouver, Canada.

1997 - Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is launched, leading to an 80 percent fall in deaths related to AIDS in the West by 2003.

1999 - A chimpanzee named Marilyn helps confirm that the AIDS virus first passed into people from chimps.

2000 - Five top drug companies agree to slash the price of HIV and AIDS treatments for developing countries, in a breakthrough U.N. deal.

2001 - The U.N. General Assembly approves a detailed blueprint to tackle AIDS. It sets timetables for countries to implement strategies for education, prevention and treatment.

2002 - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is set up to fund the fight against the three top infectious diseases.

2003 - On World AIDS Day 2003, the WHO and UNAIDS launch the "3 by 5" initiative aimed at providing antiretroviral treatment to three million people living with AIDS by 2005.

- A new drug called Fuzeon, the most expensive and technically complex ever produced to combat HIV, goes on sale in Britain. The drug, the first in a new class of AIDS drugs called fusion inhibitors blocks HIV from entering the body's immune cells.

- President Bush pledges $15 billion to help combat HIV/AIDS, effectively tripling U.S. spending over five years.

2004 - The U.N., World Bank, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and former U.S. president Bill Clinton say they have set up a joint plan to buy and distribute cheap, generic AIDS drugs in poor countries.

-- The Global Coalition on Women and AIDS is launched. It aims to address violence against females and legal and social inequalities that make women more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.

-- Researchers announce that a cheap three-in-one generic AIDS pill from India is just as good as more expensive branded medicines and should be widely used in developing countries.

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Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2004. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

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