First recognized in the United States in 1981, AIDS

Definition

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is an infectious disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). AIDS is the advanced form of infection caused by HIV and typically only manifests itself after a long latency period after initial HIV infection. AIDS is a fatal disease for which there is currently no cure.

Description

First recognized in the United States in 1981, AIDS is considered one of the most devastating public health problems in recent history. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that, as of June 2000, between 800,000 and 900,000 people in the United States were HIV-positive, and 312,000 were living with AIDS. Of adult AIDS cases, 47–53% were believed to have contracted HIV from same sex male intercourse, 25–31% from intravenous drug use, and 10% from heterosexual contact. There are an estimated 40,000 new HIV infections each year in the U.S. The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS estimates that, worldwide during the year 2000, an estimated 3 million people had died of AIDS, and 34.7 million adults and 1.4 million children were living with HIV/AIDS. Approximately 95% of persons with HIV/AIDS were living in developing countries.