AIDS Turns 30

Thirty years ago, the first report on AIDS was published in Los Angeles. Today, there are 33.3 million people in the world living with HIV.

June 5 marks the 30th anniversary of the first published report on AIDS. Originally the Los Angeles-based cases were reported as "Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia," catching the attention of other doctors who noticed the same symptoms later in their patients. Five months later, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control declared the new disease an epidemic and gave it a new name: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). According to the World Health Organization, today there are 6.6 million people in development countries on drugs to help them combat the disease, a substantial increase from last year. There are now 33.3 million people in the world living with HIV.