In July 1981 the NYT ran a story that young gay men were dying in an odd way. More so later.)Īll of that is just to point out that all these guys who died in the late 1980s and even early 1990s were most likely infected before anyone knew anything was going on. (Less so at the beginning, because early symptoms weren't recognized. Those first AIDS cases most likely were people who had been infected with HIV in the mid-1970s.īefore drugs were developed, a person could expect to live several years after showing symptoms of AIDS. ![]() The progression from HIV infection to showing symptoms of AIDS takes years- anywhere from 5-12 years wasn't uncommon. And probing for the virus itself didn't become common in the US until about 2010 or so.ĪIDS first appeared in the US in 1981. But HIV antibody testing for individuals didn't become common until the late 1980s- earlier tests weren't reliable. ![]() Now days, I think most gay guys think of HIV as showing up on a genetic test after a few days, and showing up on an antibody test after 30-60 days. Many younger people might not really be aware of the amount of time between HIV infection and death, in the days before drugs.
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