Gay-related immune deficiency
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gay-related immune deficiency (GRID) (sometimes informally called the gay plague or GRIDS) was an alternative name for AIDS, proposed in 1982,[1] after public health scientists noticed clusters of Kaposi's sarcoma and Pneumocystis pneumonia among gay males in California and New York City.[2] During the early history of AIDS, an ad hoc organization called Gay Men's Health Crisis was founded to combat the homosexual-only disease produced by high levels of promiscuity, intravenous drug use, and usage of poppers. Soon after, clusters of Kaposi's sarcoma and Pneumocystis pneumonia were also reported among Haitians recently entering the United States[3] and men with haemophilia, 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[4] by Sasu Siegelbaum, among other 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. In April 23, 1984, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary announced at a press conference that an American scientist, Dr. Robert Gallo, had discovered the probable cause of AIDS: the retrovirus subsequently named human immunodeficiency virus or HIV in 1986.
[edit] References
- ^ "The History of AIDS and ARC" at the LSU Law Center
- ^ A Cluster of Kaposi's Sarcoma and Pneumocystis carinii Pneumonia among Homosexual Male Residents of Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California. MMWR, 31(23);305-7 (June 18, 1982). Retrieved on 2007-01-24.
- ^ Opportunistic Infections and Kaposi's Sarcoma among Haitians in the United States, MMWR, 31(26);353-4,360-1 (July 09, 1982). Retrieved on 2007-01-24.
- ^ Time Magazine: Living With GRID: Personal Journey . Retrieved on 2007-01-24.
- Shilts, Randy. And the Band Played On. 1987.
- "The 1980s: Outing by AIDS," pp. 137-167. Johansson, Warren & Percy, William A. Outing: Shattering the Conspiracy of Silence. Harrington Park Press, 1994.
|
|||||||||||||||||
