In 1985, an estimated one in 100 blood transfusions (http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/blood_transfusion/en/index.html) was infected with the HIV virus in some United States cities. Twenty-five years later – thanks to the innovative development of critical diagnostic tests that can identify HIV in the blood – this risk is now minimal and millions of patients are safely given blood transfusions each year.home hiv test, hiv self test, home hiv kit
Facts – Screening Blood for HIV
- On March 2, 1985, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved
the first-ever diagnostic test to screen blood donors for antibodies to
HIV. This first test was developed by Abbott.
- The first test to screen donors for exposure to the virus took nine
months of around-the-clock work by dozens of Abbott scientists to
develop.
- U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Margaret Heckler
announced FDA approval
(http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ByAudience/ForPatientAdvocates/HIVand
AIDSActivities/ucm151074.htm) of the first test at a news conference
in Washington, D.C. The screening test was immediately adopted by the.
American Red Cross (http://www.redcross.org/) and other blood
organizations.home hiv test, hiv self test, home hiv kit
Facts – HIV
- In 1985, the virus was widely called HTLV-III
(http://www.thebody.com/Forums/AIDS/SafeSex/Archive/origins/Q8777.html).
The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses
(http://www.ictvonline.org/index.asp?bhcp=1) changed the name to Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in May of 1986.home hiv test, hiv self test, home hiv kit
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
(http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/index.htm) estimates that
there are 56,000 new cases of HIV in the United States annually, down
from an estimated peak of 130,000 new cases in the mid-1980s.
- In 2008, UNAIDS (http://www.unaids.org/en/default.asp) estimated
that 2.7 million people throughout the world are newly infected with
HIV each year, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Women account for 50 percent of adults living with HIV globally.home hiv test, hiv self test, home hiv kit