http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_HIV/AIDS
Spread to the western hemisphere[edit]
HIV-1 strains are thought to have arrived in the United States from Haiti in the late 1960s or early 1970s.[53][54] HIV-1 is believed to have arrived in Haiti from central Africa, possibly through professional contacts with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[55] The current consensus is that HIV was introduced to Haiti by an unknown individual or individuals who contracted it while working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo circa 1966, or from another person who worked there during that time.[54] A mini-epidemic followed, and, circa 1969, yet another unknown individual brought HIV from Haiti to the United States. The vast majority of cases of AIDS outside sub-Saharan Africa can be traced back to that single patient[53] (although numerous unrelated incidents of AIDS among Haitian immigrants to the U.S. were recorded in the early 1980s, and, as
evidenced by the case of Robert Rayford, isolated incidents of this infection may have been occurring as early as 1966.) The virus eventually entered male *** communities in large United States cities, where a combination of sexual promiscuity (with individuals reportedly averaging over 11 unprotected sexual partners per year[56]) and relatively high transmission rates associated with anal intercourse[57] allowed it to spread explosively enough to finally be noticed.[53]
Because of the long incubation period of HIV (up to a decade or longer) before symptoms of AIDS appear, and, because of the initially low incidence, HIV was not noticed at first. By the time the first reported cases of AIDS were found in large United States cities, the prevalence of HIV infection in some communities had passed 5%.[58] Worldwide, HIV infection has spread from urban to rural areas, and has appeared in regions such as China and India.
I was alive and working in the 1970's. The AIDS scare was real..Just because you didnt know about it, didn't mean everyone was that ignorant
