“HIV” has become a more common internet search term than “AIDS.” That change reflects the fact that more people now are living with HIV than with AIDS. What’s more, the number of annual HIV infections fell 18% between 2008 - 2014. In honor of the progress made in changing AIDS from an almost universally fatal disease to a manageable condition, AIDS.gov has changed its name to HIV.gov.
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The name change comes 36 years after the CDC’s first report of the initial cases of what became known as acquired immune deficiency syndrome. “Much progress has been made in HIV/AIDS research since the disease was first recognized in 1981,” said Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “Today, lifesaving antiretroviral therapies allow those living with HIV to enjoy longer, healthier lives—an outcome that once seemed unattainable.”
Organizations from the HIV/AIDS community are pleased with the name change. National Minority AIDS Council Executive Director Paul Kawata applauds it, saying it “honors the past while recognizing the power of words and acknowledging that their meanings change over time.”