AIDS and drug use: 'To shun the heaven that leads man to this hell'

In 1981, a new immune deficiency disorder was reported in five homosexual/ bisexual males one of whom was also an IVDU. Within a few years, this condition was termed the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and an aetiological agent was identified subsequently named the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Intravenous drug use was soon recognized as a behaviour associated with the risk of developing HIV infection. HIV was identified in blood, semen and some other body fluids.