05/06/2026
Thank you Lunch Positive for sharing this.
Today is HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day (HLTSAD).
This day also marks the anniversary of the first official medical report on what would become the HIV/AIDS pandemic. On June 5, 1981, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), describing cases of a rare lung infection in five young, previously healthy gay men in Los Angeles, California. At the time of publication, two of these men had already died. This is now widely accepted as the first published account of what would become known as HIV/AIDS.
Shortly after this article was published, we would soon bear witness to one of the strongest demarcations in modern history: what life was like before HIV and what life was like after its “discovery”.
We're at a tipping point in the history of HIV. While medical advancements have made significant progress, the social barriers surrounding HIV remain a persistent obstacle.
We have the tools and resources to be the generation that stops the onward transmission of HIV and its associated stigmas. We owe it to those who came before us and future generations. The fight is not over, HIV must remain on the agenda.
We're not done yet.
To mark the day we are hosting a HIV Long-Term Survivors Day event. It will be a chance to share your story with others, and for those who wish to tell their story on video. We’ll then make people’s contributions into a short film “Survivor Stories” which we’ll use for World AIDS Day in December. Find out more here - https://www.positiveeast.org.uk/events/month/2026-06/
To learn more about our services and events visit our
website - www.positiveeast.org.uk
