Project SIDA

When international scientists visit Kinshasa in 1983, they return to the USA and call for the opening of a research project in the city. Project SIDA starts work in June 1984, running until 1997, when conflict causes the project to close indefinitely. Much of our understanding of the current epidemiology of AIDS comes from the work of this project, including that AIDS could be acquired sexually, through blood transfusions, and – importantly – that it could affect anyone and everyone.