The Aids crisis of the 1980's
Millennium Approaches takes place in the absolute heart of the AIDS crisis. The gay community of the U.S. was bombarded with the syndrome, as can be seen in image 11 to the left. According to Harden, June 5, 1981 is the date when medically trained individuals became aware of it and published their findings for other physicians to use. Millennium Approaches is set in the middle of 1980. It is at the very center of the modern American plague.
AIDS stands for “Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome” and HIV for “Human Immunodeficiency Virus” (Harden 3-4). The name of the disease was changed from “AIDS” to “HIV/AIDS” in 1995 at the first White House Conference on the disease (Harden 4). For the purposes of this essay, they will be referred to separately. According to Harden, HIV is a zoonosis which she defines as "a disease caused by microscopic |
pathogen transmitted from other animals to humans” (4). The original pathogen of HIV most likely evolved to infect a human host. It is primarily transmitted through sexual contact or blood. HIV is a retrovirus, which means it replicates and is constantly changing (Harden 5). It essentially attacks the white blood cells. This damages the immune system and makes the body more susceptible to illness. If it is left untreated it takes about 10-15 years to develop into AIDS. Once it has developed into AIDS, the body can no longer defend itself against any disease (“What Are HIV and AIDS?”).
As stated on Avert, many believed the strand of HIV that developed into AIDS originated in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo around 1920. As previously stated, the pathogen developed in other animals and jumped to humans. It has been traced specifically to chimpanzees and sooty mangaby monkeys (Harden 5). HIV came to the United States in the 1970’s through Haiti. Haitians went to French speaking African countries to get away from a repressive political regime implemented in the late 1950’s. When that regime lessened in the early 70’s, they returned and brought HIV with them. During the 70’s and 80’s, Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince was a popular vacation destination for homosexual American men. They returned to the United States and AIDS began to spread through the gay community.
As stated on Avert, many believed the strand of HIV that developed into AIDS originated in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo around 1920. As previously stated, the pathogen developed in other animals and jumped to humans. It has been traced specifically to chimpanzees and sooty mangaby monkeys (Harden 5). HIV came to the United States in the 1970’s through Haiti. Haitians went to French speaking African countries to get away from a repressive political regime implemented in the late 1950’s. When that regime lessened in the early 70’s, they returned and brought HIV with them. During the 70’s and 80’s, Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince was a popular vacation destination for homosexual American men. They returned to the United States and AIDS began to spread through the gay community.
On June 5, 1981 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly about five cases in Los Angeles of an unusual pneumonia (“The AIDS Epidemic: 1981-1987”). All five were gay men. Simultaneously, there were reports in New York and California of men with Kaposi’s Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. By the next year up to 335 people were infected with what was being labeled as severe immune deficiency, 270 of which were gay men. The term “AIDS” was first used in 1982 (“History of HIV and AIDS Overview”). By 1985, 6,854 deaths caused by AIDS had been reported (“The AIDS Epidemic: 1981-1987”). According to Avert, by the end of 1985 every world region had reported at least one case of AIDS, altogether totalling in 20,303 cases.
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The AIDS epidemic in the United States began in the 70’s and continued into the 90’s, which puts 1985 right in the middle of the timeline. Not only that, but but the 80’s were particularly traumatic due to a lack of understanding among medical professionals. This caused a substantial problem for anyone involved, as put by Mann, Netter, and Tarantola:
An important problem facing AIDS work during the 1980s was the lack of a coherent, comprehensible global framework for understanding the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In the absence of an appropriate picture or set of concepts about the pandemic, the public and professionals alike were left to their own devices and imagination (11).
In the midst of this confusion, the gay community of the United States was hit hard. Images 11 and 12 above show the modes through which AIDS was transmitted in 1985. In adult cases alone, 66% were through homosexual or bisexual contact. The portion in the male community was higher, at 70%. Not only this, but the life expectancy dropped quickly in all adults that had contracted HIV, as shown in image 13 below. The virus didn’t just kill, it also changed the social dynamics of the U.S.. In a poll conducted in December of 1985, 37% said they disapproved of homosexuals because of the AIDS epidemic (“The AIDS Epidemic: 1981-1987”). HIV was picking apart every part of the gay community: mentally, physically, and socially.
In the 1980’s, AIDS was a modern plague raising questions left and right. Questions of where it came from, what it even was, how to understand it, and how many more lives it would take. This dangerous confusion mirrors the other struggles of the characters in Millennium Approaches. Prior questions the voices, Louis questions his moral standings, Harper questions Joe’s love, and Joe questions who he really loves. As these people get closer to the new millennium and their answers, they are accompanied by a modern plague that brings even more questions.
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