AIDS- It's growth, the awareness and myths.

Until the 1980s, we do not know how many people developed HIV or AIDS. HIV was unknown and transmission was not accompanied by apparent signs or symptoms.

June 1982, a group of cases among gay men in Southern California suggested that the cause of the immune deficiency was sexual and the syndrome was initially called gay-related immune deficiency (or GRID)- was later believed to be related to come from Haiti. Since the 1980s, men who have sex with men (MSM) have remained the group most at risk of HIV in the UK. January 1983, AIDS was reported among the female partners of males who had the disease suggesting it could be passed on by heterosexual sex.

In October, bath houses and private sex clubs in San Francisco were closed due to high-risk sexual activity. New York and Los Angeles followed suit within a year.

In the 1980s, there was a very high death rate from AIDS. However, medications have improved dramatically and so has the life span of people with HIV infection. If you have access to AIDS medications and medical monitoring, there’s no reason you can’t live a long life even with HIV infection or AIDS.
Myth: You have to take your doses exactly 12 (or 8, or 24) hours apart.
Reality: Medications today are fairly forgiving. Although you will have the most consistent blood levels of your drugs if they are taken at even intervals through the day, they won’t stop working if you’re off by an hour or two. However, some drugs, like Crixivan (indinavir) can require careful timing.

https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/aids-timeline/