History of HIV in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: June 19, 2025

HIV refers to two species of Lentivirus that infect humans and, if untreated, lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is characterized by the progressive failure of the immune system, increasing susceptibility to opportunistic infections and cancers. The average survival time after HIV infection without treatment ranges from 9 to 11 years, varying based on the HIV subtype.

1910: Estimated date of HIV-1 M group origin

Genetic studies of the virus suggest that the most recent common ancestor of the HIV-1 M group dates back to approximately 1910.

1928: Prostitution rate in Leopoldville

As of 1928, as many as 45% of female residents of eastern Leopoldville (currently Kinshasa) were thought to have been prostitutes.

1933: Syphilis infection rate in Leopoldville

As of 1933, around 15% of all residents of Leopoldville (currently Kinshasa) were infected by one of the forms of syphilis.

1959: Earliest documented case of HIV

In 1959, the earliest, well-documented case of HIV in a human was recorded in the Belgian Congo.

1966: Earliest retrospectively described case of AIDS

The earliest retrospectively described case of AIDS is believed to have been in Norway beginning in 1966.

1966: Possible presence of HIV in the United States

The virus may have been present in the United States as early as 1966, based on the case of Robert Rayford.

1969: Death of Robert Rayford

In 1969, Robert Rayford, a sixteen-year-old male, died after presenting with HIV related symptoms in 1966.

May 18, 1981: First news story on 'an exotic new disease'

On May 18, 1981, the first news story on "an exotic new disease" appeared in the gay newspaper New York Native.

1981: First clinical observation of AIDS

In 1981, AIDS was first clinically observed in the United States, with cases of Pneumocystis pneumonia and Kaposi's sarcoma emerging in injection drug users and gay men.

1981: Formation of CDC task force

In 1981, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) formed a task force to monitor the outbreak of what would later be known as AIDS.

July 1982: Introduction of AIDS as a name for the disease

In July 1982, the name AIDS was introduced at a meeting after terms like GRID and "the 4H disease" proved misleading.

September 1982: CDC starts using the name AIDS

By September 1982, the CDC started using the name AIDS to refer to the disease.

1983: Jay Levy discovers AIDS virus

In 1983, Jay A. Levy independently discovered the AIDS virus and named it the AIDS associated retrovirus (ARV).

1983: Discovery of a novel retrovirus

In 1983, two separate research groups led by Robert Gallo and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier independently declared that a novel retrovirus may have been infecting AIDS patients.

1984: Gallo claims discovery of HTLV-III

In 1984, Gallo claimed that his group had isolated a virus, HTLV-III, from a person with AIDS.

1986: Renaming of LAV and HTLV-III to HIV

In 1986, the viruses LAV and HTLV-III were renamed HIV, as they turned out to be the same.

1987: Gallo admits error in virus discovery claim

In 1987, Gallo admitted that the virus he claimed to have discovered in 1984 was in reality a virus sent to him from France the year before.

2000: Global HIV-1 subtype prevalence analysis

In 2000, an analysis of global HIV-1 subtype prevalence showed that 47.2% of infections worldwide were of subtype C, 26.7% were of subtype A/CRF02_AG, 12.3% were of subtype B, 5.3% were of subtype D, 3.2% were of CRF_AE, and the remaining 5.3% were composed of other subtypes and CRFs.

2001: HIV testing rates in Africa

In 2001, less than 1% of the sexually active urban population in Africa had been tested for HIV. Only 0.5% of pregnant women attending urban health facilities were counselled, tested, or received their test results.

2006: Isolation of gorilla SIV

In 2006, gorilla SIV (SIVgor) was first isolated from western lowland gorillas.

2008: The Swiss Statement

In 2008, the Swiss Federal Commission for AIDS/HIV first proposed the concept that HIV is not transmitted through sexual contact when an HIV-positive individual maintains a consistently undetectable viral load, also known as the Swiss Statement.

2009: Hypothesized existence of HIV-1 group 'P'

In 2009, the existence of a fourth group of HIV-1, "P", was hypothesized based on a virus isolated that year.

2020: HIV-1 and HIV-2 classification update

In 2020, both HIV-1 and HIV-2 were classified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses as belonging to the species "Lentivirus humimdef1" and "Lentivirus humimdef2" respectively.