The ELISA test - the first commercial blood test to detect HIV - is approved by the USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Scientists from the National Cancer Institute in the USA announce isolation of a virus called HTLV-III, which they say is the cause of AIDS.
An international team of scientists travels to Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) after reports of possible AIDS cases in the region.
Scientists from the Pasteur Institute in France report the discovery of a new retrovirus, named LAV, that could be the cause of AIDS.
All known transmission routes that could lead to AIDS are defined by the USA Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
The USA Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports the first case of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
‘Slim disease’ is reported in Uganda.
12% of blood donors in Kigali, Rwanda are infected with HIV.
Doctors in Kinshasa notice significant increases in cases of Kaposi’s sarcoma, severe wasting and diarrhoea.
Origins of HIV – HIV is derived from SIV in chimpanzees and apes.
