# 5597
This month marks the 30th anniversary of the first detection of what would turn out to be a new devastating global epidemic called HIV-AIDS.
The CDC, along with the WHO, and other agencies and entities are commemorating this anniversary in a variety of ways. The CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) has set up the following website with blogs, videos, photos and events.
And you’ll find that this week’s MMWR focuses on HIV Surveillance — United States, 1981–2008 (June 3, 2011 / Vol. 60 / No. 21).
But for a unique look back at the early days of the HIV epidemic, I would direct you to Flublogia’s favorite `scary disease girl’ – Maryn McKenna – who worked for many years for the Atlanta-Journal Constitution as their science, medical and CDC reporter.
In 2004 Maryn published her first book, Beating Back The Devil, which chronicled the history of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service.
Part of that history, which covered the eradication of smallpox, the near-eradication of polio, and the discovery of Legionnaires' disease (among many others) - was the detection of HIV-AIDS in 1981.
Maryn is excerpting portions of her book in her blog this week, and as with just about everything she writes, this is highly recommended.
30 Years of AIDS, And How It Began. (Part 1)
By Maryn McKenna June 2, 2011
