Triumphs+Trials

As we mark HIV Plus's 10-year anniversary, we look back over the course of the pandemic to take stock of some of the history making events as well as advances and setbacks in fighting the virus. 22 Years Ago > The first public acknowledgment of AIDS by President Reagan is in his State of the Union text'five years after the first U.S. cases. > AZT, the first drug to treat HIV, begins final human trials. > The first panel of the AIDS Memorial Quilt is created. > Surgeon General C. Everett Koop releases a report on HIV, calling for condom use to aid in preventing its spread. > Ricky Ray, a 9-year-old hemophiliac with HIV, is barred from his Florida school; arsonists later burn his family's home. 11 Years Ago > Widespread use of newly approved protease inhibitors helps cut the U.S. AIDS death rate by 40% over the prior year's levels. > President Clinton creates a research center and announces a goal of finding an HIV vaccine within 10 years'a goal that remains unmet. > Congress codifies the accelerated drug-approval process at the Food and Drug Administration, helping to ensure that the development of anti-HIV drugs is as fast as possible. 6 Years Ago > HIV becomes the leading cause of death among adults between 15 and 59 worldwide. > The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS reports that half of the world's HIV-positive adults are now women. > The FDA approves the first rapid-result HIV antibody test, which provides results in 20 minutes. > The U.N.-backed Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria is founded and approves its first round of grants.