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Ad Hoc Advisory Committee For Public Health Service
Ad Hoc advisory committee for U.S. Public Health Service embrace every group with an interest in the AIDS epidemic. Unfortunately, they were not all there to work together to fight against the epidemic, but rather to protect their own interest in it. There were blood banks trying to save their profits, and gay organizations trying to save their civil rights. This was only the beginning as no group was willing to compromise even if it meant saving thousands of lives. -
No Screening Annoucement
AABB publicly announced they will not screen based on sexual orientation. While in the short run it saved the equal rights of the gay community, unfortunately in the long run it allowed AIDS to spread like wildfire as contaminated blood was being used for blood transfusion that could have been stopped if they were screened. -
No Longer A Gay Cancer
MMWR pushed the notion that AIDS is no longer a gay cancer and restricted to the gay community. As the disease was spreading outside the community, that message was being received more every single day. -
Hemophiliacs Vs Gays
Hemophiliacs pushed blood product manufacturers to bar any blood received from gay donors. While For-profit went with it, non-for-profit still held back. This action rallied the gay community together to oppose what they perceived as discrimination. -
Mayor Feinstein Faces Recall
With her decision to veto the bill, many gays were furious with the mayor to actively discriminate against them. It displayed the gay community raw power of activism. -
Four Digit Mark
The Number of AIDS cases exceeded 1000. It's rapidly becoming clear that this epidemic isn't going anywhere. -
A Potentially New Retrovirus
In Paris, a new human retrovirus was discovered. Could this be the cause of the AIDS epidemic? Only time and research will answer that. -
Blood Screening for Hepatitis B
AAPHR publically announce it’s screening for hepatitis B core antibody testing but opposing the notion of elimination gay donor’s blood. While it appeased the gay community, it certainity did nit help prevent future death as many infected blood were allowed to slip through the process. -
False Hope in Mexico
Treatments in Mexico with use of amino acids offer hope to those diagnosed. While some physical signs dissolves, the tumors do not. This doesn't stop them from trying as it seems to be the only thing they can do instead of just waiting to die. -
The Government Opinion
After much debate and discussion, the government settles to rather just recommend a general and broad proposal of just being more caution of donation of blood and no suggestion of screening. -
New York Native's Assault
New York Native goes on the attack revealing the numbers and how doctors are doing nothing being a first stone tossed at the CDC to get their act into gear. -
OGLHC was Formed
Mayor of New York announced the formation of the Office of Gay and Lesbian Health Concerns. It was their attempt at trying to display they were getting involved in the fight against AIDS. -
More Funding!
Congress finally adds funding to the CDC to combat the epidemic -
The Chronicle Leak
The Chronicle, with a leaked source, decide to go ahead and release the confidential story to the public in regards to AIDS. It was a dirty tactic of the scientist to get the word out about AIDS and to bypass the bureaucracy a bit. -
New Target
In the major cities, AIDS was shifting from being a disease for the gay community, but rather instead targeting the poor and non-whites. It is much easier to be spread through the passing of a contaminated needle than it is that of a bathhouse. -
NCI Gets Behind The Fight Agasint AIDS... Finally
NCI official date of fully getting behind finding the cause of AIDS. The issue arisen when one realizes that they were very late with announcement. AIDS epidemic has already run rampant through the nation. It's only now when it's clear the epidemic is not going to get swept under the rug when they make their stance on the issue clear. -
Newsweek Starts the Press Avalanche
With Newsweek magazine passing a story on AIDS, it started the momentum the movement needing for news to be released across the nation on the issue -
Meeting At City Hall
The New York AIDS Network met with Mayor Ed Koch in City Hall. While the mayor agreed to all conditions that did not require any money, when it came to requesting anything that had a material cost to it, it resulted in a failure. Just displayed the New York eagerness to solve the issue, as long as it doesn't cost them anything. Rest assured that they will be there to hog all the credit though. -
The Gay Community Split
The Gay Community was spilt between the Harvey Milk Gay Democratic Club and the Alice B. Toklas Memorial Democratic Club. Where the formal wants to have a more aggressive approach to getting the word about the danger of AIDS, the latter wanted a more subtle approach to not to cause fear and revert their progress in their movement for gay rights. This division even within the gay community will delay the fight against AIDS as instead of a collaboration, it transformed into a fierce rivalry. -
"Routine Household Contact"
An AMA press release which heavily implied “routine household contact” was a main spreader of the AIDS created mass frenzy in the population. While a positive of his it got the common person to be afraid of AIDS and realize the threat of it, was it worth the miseducation of the population as there fear anything that could be possibly associated with AIDS? -
Hearing of the House Subcommittee on Health and the Environment.
Congress got called out for their cut in funding to the CDC even though they acknowledge the threat the AIDS epidemic poses. This will not be the last time they get called out on their hypocrisy. -
House Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing
Hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services. Unfortunately, due to the tone set by Secretary Margaret Heckler of “another dollar would make a difference” it made sure no one dared to ask for more funding for the fear of losing their jobs. Thus there was no progress to be had as no would presented the need for progress, helping the Reagan Administrative hold tight to their budget. -
Stanford Becomes A Trailblazer
Stanford University Hospital became the only major medical center to start testing for AIDS infection. -
A Lie Exposed
With Dr. Brandt memo sent to The House of Appropriation, administration supporters were stunned with the exposure of the lie that they were all in with funding the AIDS epidemic and that there was a significant amount of money left to be able to use. This reveal of lies cause massive rupture as administration would not take this embarrassment without taking recourse. -
Top Priority
Dr. Brandt declared AIDS to be the administration's top health priority. This statement surely won't come back and bite them in the butt later down the line. -
A Tricky Plan for Funding
Through the last-second amendment, an additional 12 million was added to the funding for AIDS research. This tricky play was a tremendous help in the steps to combating AIDS. -
AIDSpeak
With the exchange of Merv Silverman and Barbara Taylor, it noted the first public display of AIDSpeak, the delicate maneuvering of spoken words in order to try to change gay community’s perspective on handling the AIDS threat, without approaching on their freedom and coming off as homophobic. This conflict will only deny the process of finding the solution to this epidemic. -
Second National AIDS Forum
Second National AIDS Forum was held. Arguments were how to handle the warning of AIDS. Is the approach to actively try to prevent opportunities of high chance of the spread of AIDS or inform the gay community of the threats and let them decide. -
LAV Announced
Luc Montagnier announces that he has found a new virus, not a HTLV, but rather what he named LAV, Lymphadenopathy associated virus. -
Grandma Got AIDS
New York Post releases story of a Grandma dying to AIDS. With the only way of getting the disease is through blood transfusion, Blood Banks started to become under massive fire once again reigniting the panic with the population. This was only the beginning as a wave of stories of heterosexuals dying to AIDS began to appear. -
Public Enunciation
The speech given by Secretary Heckler was the first official enunciation of AIDS policy by a cabinet official. -
Resistance of the Right
With the Senate passing the $12 million funding for AIDS, resistance arose. The White House threaten Veto, even though the Senate was too behind the funding. Religious Conservatives denounce the Senate for falling to the pressure of “militant homosexuals.” It was bad enough when it was just fighting among themselves, but now there are forces that are actively opposing the progress. -
The Junk AIDS
While gay were spreading the disease with their bathhouses, drug junkies were spreading it just as fast with their use of sharing needles. While with the bathhouses, it stays within the community, but anyone can be a junkie. They easily pass on their AIDS onto their child affecting a completely new generation. -
AIDS in Hemophiliac Community
The first case of AIDS in a wife of a hemophiliac who suffered from AIDS. It was the beginning of AIDS spreading not only in the gay community, but also the hemophiliac community. Tensions grew as it was very clear to the hemophiliacs to who gave them this disease. -
The Numbers Keep Rising
1,922 Americans have contracted AIDS. How many cases will enough be enough? -
Budget Cuts
Reagan’s budget plan calls for a 300,000 budget cut of the CDC. CDC is already struggling to fund its researcher, with no additional money but rather cut, the progress to find a cure to the AIDS will come to a screeching halt. -
No Photo Shoot Allowed
Secretary Heckler confronted many hospitals for a photo shoot to promote that they are trying to Help confront the AIDS Epidemic, which were all denied as just an illusion of action. It clearly display the disconnect the government had with the those who have been dealing with AIDS for years now. -
Borchelt's Unaware Blood Transfusion
Frances Borchelt gain three blood fusion without her knowledge that unfortunately had the blood of a donor that has AIDS -
CDC vs NCI
With CDC hiring of a NCI young researcher, Dr. Gallo was furious as he saw it as an attempt to steal his research and his glory. If it wasn't bad enough that the activists and interest groups were divided in this epidemic, now it was clear that even the scientists were fighting among themselves as they try to claim the glory of solving the riddle of the disease. -
Norway's Dragged into the Epidemic
Norway's suffers its first death caused by AIDS -
Sweden Got It Too
Sweden's suffers its first death of AIDS. -
Cold Spring Harbor Conference
Conference held at Cold Spring Harbor had scientists ridicule Dr. Montagnier's research on LAV while praising Dr. Gallo’s HTLV-I. While disheartening, it did not stop Montagnier from pursuing his LAV when up against the better funded NCI. -
Less Sex Craze for the Gay Community
The Gay community sex crazed lifestyle shifted to a more tamed living style. Which plently of gathering with boardgames and Bingo, just less sex involved in them. The effect of the fear of AIDS were finally starting to have a impact on the community as they try to control themselves -
The Federal Response
The Federal Response to AIDS which detailed many reports on AIDS and many issues they were faces, once again did not offer any battle plans to it. Once again helping very little. -
Mean Incubation Period Revealed
At the end of the year, The analysis that the mean incubation period for the disease was 5.5 years with the longest being 11 years was concluded. This fact was a fearsome notion as what current numbers of AIDS victim they thought was bad, only mean the numbers will soon start to rise as people who seem to be healthy be very well be carrying the ticking time bomb of AIDS.
