30 Years After the Discovery of AIDS

The Takeaway

Thirty years ago this week, Dr. Michael Gottlieb identified a new disease in a paper he wrote for the CDC. Characterized by a severely damaged immune system, and primarily afflicting gay men, the syndrome would come to be known as AIDS. In the years since, over sixty million people –  of both genders and all sexual orientations –  have died of AIDS. Antiretrovirals have been developed, however there is still no cure. Dr. Gottlieb, for his part, has continued to research and teach medicine, as well as treat hundreds of patients living with AIDS, including Rock Hudson. Today, he he’s an associate clinical professor of medicine at the UCLA Geffen School of Medicine.

Will you support The World? 

The story you just read is accessible and free to all because thousands of listeners and readers contribute to our nonprofit newsroom. We go deep to bring you the human-centered international reporting that you know you can trust. To do this work and to do it well, we rely on the support of our listeners. If you appreciated our coverage this year, if there was a story that made you pause or a song that moved you, would you consider making a gift to sustain our work through 2024 and beyond?