The 1980s

March 31 2005 The beginning of the pandemic. By Kevin Timmins

1981 - RUMOUR: First signs of the epidemic in the USA and the New York press reports on a kind of cancer. Panic and politics ignite the West Coast of America as the US Centre for Disease Control publish the first paper on the symptoms that are shattering the gay community. Elsewhere in the world, people have yet to face the reality of a major health threat.

1982 - BEGINNINGS: Gay Related Immune Deficiency Disease becomes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) as symptoms are reported beyond the gay community. Doctors continue to investigate but the public remain ill-informed and frightened. A gay man called Terry Higgins dies of AIDS in a London hospital. His friends set up a fund in his name to start the fight against the disease.

1983 - VIRUS: Doctors isolate the virus which is thought to lead to AIDS (later named as HIV). However arguments in the scientific community over who discovered the virus delays vital research into treatment and testing. As death rates continue to rise London Gay Switchboard calls a public meeting. The Terry Higgins Trust becomes The Terrence Higgins Trust and produces the UK's first leaflet on AIDS.

1984 - MYTHS: Knowledge of HIV grows, but in the wider global community the epidemic is still characterised by myth. With reported cases of AIDS on the rise in the UK, gay men still remain the group most affected, prompting attacks in the UK's tabloid press. While gay communities receive the brunt of the blame, the virus continues to infect without prejudice and HIV rates rise in the heterosexual communities.

1985 - COMMUNITIES: The first commercial anti-HIV drug becomes available. However, the drug is expensive, and poorer countries remain devastated by HIV. In the western world, communities come together to fight the virus. Body Positive (London) opens as the UK's first self-help group for people living with HIV. In Manchester AIDSline counters rising anxiety with an information helpline.

1986 - GROWTH: Infection rates rise amongst drug users, pregnant mothers and their babies. Manchester City Council is one of the first local authorities to agree a policy on HIV and AIDS, while Manchester AIDSline expands its services to include a welfare fund, a buddying scheme, and weekly meetings for its Body Positive Group. The first major AIDS health campaign is censored by the government.

1987 - IGNORANCE: The British Govenrnment deliver a leaflet to every home in the country, bearing the line "Don't Die Of Ignorance". As a result the country, witnesses fear and loathing on a national scale, as the myths prove hard to shake. In an effort to stem the rising tide of ignorance Princess Diana makes worldwide frontpage news, when she hold the hand of an AIDS patient, and becomes a vital figure in the fight.

1988 - FIRSTS: The World Health Organisation estimate that around 10 million are infected worldwide as the first World AIDS Day places the issues under a global spotlight. Despite social and medical improvements, London Lighthouse experiences a hostile climate when it becomes the first centre to offer care and support for those living with HIV and AIDS. In Manchester the first fundraiser to fight AIDS is held on Canal Street.

1989 - POLITICS: In the UK, The Labour Partys attempts to secure employment rights for people with HIV fail in the face of a government majority. Meanwhile, several high profile AIDS charitie are given proper funding to support their services. ACT UP forms in London, marking a radical shift in community response, and putting HIV firmly on the political agenda through a series of provocative publicity stunts.