“Over the years, HIV/AIDS activists and their allies have been pioneers in creating new frontiers in the medical establishment. Through their efforts, the FDA drug approval procedures were reformed so promising new therapies could reach desperate patients quicker.” YearsHas BeensEffortDrugCreatingPatientAidsMedicalTherapyDesperateActivistAlliesEstablishmentApprovalFrontiersProceduresHivPioneersFdaHiv AidsNew Frontiers Author:David Mixner
“Most people who are HIV positive are on drugs and that gets their viral load so low that it's harder to transmit it. Most new infections come from people who don't know they're infected.” PeopleKnowsDrugLowsHarderLoadHivInfectionTransmitViralHiv Positive Author:Dale Peck
“AZT was never meant to treat HIV. It was meant to treat cancer and, when it was discovered to be toxic, the drug companies stopped clinic trials of the drug because it was so toxic. Is this drug really one we want to use?” WantUseCompanyDrugTreatsCancerTrialsToxicHivClinicDrug Companies Author:Manto Tshabalala-Msimang
“Drug warriors' staunch opposition to needle exchanges to prevent the spread of HIV in addicts delayed the programs' widespread introduction in most states for years. A federal ban on funding for these programs wasn't lifted until 2009. Contrast this with what happened in the U.K. At the peak of the AIDS epidemic in the mid-1990s, the HIV infection rate in IV drug users in the U.K. was about 1%. In New York City, the American epicenter, that figure was 50%. The British had introduced widespread needle exchange in 1986. That country had no heterosexual AIDS epidemic.” YearsCountryStatesCitiesHappenedFiguresNew YorkDrugProgramRateSpreadBritishAidsWarriorOppositionNew York CityContrastUsersAddictIntroductionFundingHivNeedlesBansEpidemicsWar On DrugsInfectionDelayedAids Epidemic Author:Maia Szalavitz
“The general population still thinks HIV is something that came in the 80s and went away, or that it only affects the gay population or intravenous drug users.” ThinkingStillsGayDrugPopulationUsers80sHiv Author:Annie Lennox