Poster made by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.
In 1981, a new disease appeared in the United States. As it spread, fear and confusion pervaded the country. The infectious “rare cancer” bewildered researchers and bred suspicion, but the worry was not the same for everyone. Many feared contact with those who were ill. Others, particularly but not exclusively gay men, feared for their lives and the lives of loved ones.
Reactions to the disease, soon named AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), were as varied as the uncertainties about it. Early responders cared for the sick, fought homophobia, and promoted new practices to keep people healthy. Scientists and public health officials struggled to understand the disease and how it spread. Politicians remained largely silent until the epidemic became too big to ignore. Activists demanded that people with AIDS be part of the solution.
The title Surviving and Thriving comes from a book written in 1987 by and for people with AIDS that insisted people could live with AIDS, not just die from it. This exhibition presents their stories alongside those of others involved in the national AIDS crisis. Visit the Exhibition at the National Library of Medicine website.
In 1982, a group of four volunteers in Los Angeles set up an anonymous hotline to share what little information there was about preventing and recognizing the disease. This became one of the largest AIDS service organizations in the country, offering support and information in more than a dozen languages.
For articles about Aids in Portuguese, see:
Andrade, Maria de Fatima de Oliveira, Martins, Maria Cezira Fantini Nogueira and Bógus, Cláudia Maria Casa Siloé. “A história de uma ONG para crianças portadoras de HIV/AIDS.” Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos, Dez 2007, vol.14, no.4, p.1291-1311.
Camargo Jr., Kenneth R. de. “Aids e a Aids das ciências.” Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos.” Out 1994, vol.1, no.1, p.35-60.
Marques, Maria Cristina da Costa. “Saúde e poder: a emergência política da Aids/HIV no Brasil.” Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos, 2002, vol.9, p.41-65.
