HIV in 1980- Uganda, Thailand, and the U.S.A.

During the HIV epidemic, the decade that carried the most advancements of the disease in both the growing numbers and attempts to end the uphill climb was the 1980s.  Although occurring all around the world, Uganda, Thailand, and the United States all shared important measures in stopping the disease.

Beginning with Uganda, this African nation provided something different than the other two.  As they did not have the economic capability to payout large amount of money towards science, they simply began educating the people of Uganda through many Non-Govermental Organizations (NGOs), while also providing condoms and complete abstinence groups.

In Thailand, the major contributors to the rising number of HIV cases within their nation was due to the extensive IV drug usage, which was also prevalent in the jail system as the security guards would often be drug dealers.  Their government during the '80s didn't see HIV as a complete epidemic yet, but offered money to advance medicine and science.  The government officially spent $180,000.

Finally the United States.  As a world power, the US took frontlines in the battle to end HIV, but if not to end, then to at least to slow it down.  Just like Thailand, the U.S. offered a huge contribution towards the scientific community, also later added on by George W. Bush as he announced his $15 billion plan.  During the 1980s, and Reagan's presidency, HIV was almost completely surrounded by the gay community, as it was though of as G.R.I.D. (Gay Relative Immune Deficiency).  This would be soon erased as all heterosexuals were coming up with the disease.

Although Uganda, the U.S., and Thailand all handled the AIDS epidemic differently, they all contributed greatly towards fixing the problem during the 1980s due to their own cultural actions which spread the infection in the first place.