Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). AIDS weakens the immune system, hindering the body's defense mechanisms. AIDS is known to be a deadly disease, especially if it is not treated promptly. AIDS and HIV are a growing epidemic among the African American population with roots dating back to Africa. AIDS and HIV need more exposure and more awareness within the African American community and the gay community. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first recognized as a new disease in 1981, when increasing numbers of young homosexual men died from unusual opportunistic infections and rare malignancies (Gallant49). During this time, many people contacted this disease because it had not yet been discovered and people did not know about it. Scientists believe that HIV comes from a particular type of West African chimpanzee. Humans contracted this disease when they hunted and ate infected animals. A first clue came in 1986, when a morphologically similar but antigenically distinct virus was discovered to cause AIDS in West African patients (Goosby24). During this time, scientists had more evidence to support their claims about this disease. Once discovered, this disease was identified as the cause of what has since become one of the most devastating infectious diseases to emerge in recent history (Goosby101). This disease was deadly because it was similar to the Black Death, killing most of the population. Since its first identification almost thirty years ago, the pandemic form of HIV-1 has infected at least 60 million people and caused more than 25 million deaths... half of the paper... ar. "HIV/AIDS in the management of a pandemic". Americas 61.2 (2009): 20-27. Literary reference center Plus. Rete. 20 February 2014.Gallant, Joel.100 questions and answers on HIV/AIDS. Maryland: Jones and Bartlett Publishing.2012.Print.Goosby,Eric.Living with HIV/AIDS.Indiana:Hilton Publishing Company.2013.Print.Livingston, Ivor. Handbook of Black American Health. Connecticut: Praegar Press.2004.PrintFarnan, Rose.What Nurses Know About HIV/AIDS.NewYork:Demos Medical Publishing.2012.PrintFurniss,Charlie.AIDS Crisis.Connecticut:Nowhaven Press.2006.PrintGill,Peter.Body Count Fixing the Blame for Global AIDS.New York:Thunder Mouth Press.2006.Print.Jackson,Donna.The Autommune Epidemic.New York:Touchstone Publishing.2008.PrintSelby,Kevin.Basis of AIDS.London:Touchline Press.2009.Print.