1987: The Touch of a Princess

1987: The Touch of a Princess

On March 20th of 1987, AZT (also known as Retrovir®, zidovudine, or ZDV) -- manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline -- became the first anti-HIV drug (a Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor) to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). AZT prevents HIV by altering the genetic material of healthy T-cells. It must be used in combination with at least two other anti-HIV drugs. AZT therapy may cause mutations in HIV's structure, which prevent AZT from working against HIV. Source: AIDSmeds.com The very next month, in April of 1987, Princess Diana affected the public perception of AIDS at the opening of a specially built ward for AIDS sufferers at London's Middlesex Hospital, when she was seen by the press not wearing gloves and shaking hands with people with AIDS, demonstrating that "you can touch an AIDS victim and not catch it." Source: AllFreeEssays.com In retrospect, on November 2, 2002, former South African President Nelson Mandela, when announcing the joining of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund with the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund to assist South Africans with HIV/AIDS, their families, and their orphans, he said, "When she stroked the limbs of someone with leprosy, or sat on the bed of a man with HIV/AIDS and held his hand, she transformed public attitudes and improved the life chances of such people." He continued, "People felt if a British princess can go to a ward with HIV patients, then there's nothing to be superstitious about." Source: The My Hero Project AIDS awareness had a new ambassador in Diana Princess of Wales, whose compassion and actions promoted a better understanding of people with AIDS. The Red Ribbon Foundation -- Educate to Prevent - Research to Cure -- established in 1993, likewise promotes AIDS awareness, raising money for AIDS research, and especially emphasizing their belief: "It is with our youth that the seeds of ultimate triumph over the spread of AIDS will be harvested." Speaking from the vantage point of 2004, they say that 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS (37 million adults and 2.5 million children under age 15). 5 million people acquired HIV in 2003 (4.2 million adults and 700,000 children under age 15). "3 million people from all walks of life, both sexes, young and old, straight and gay, have died of AIDS, including over 500,000 children under the age of 15."