On June 5th the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) publishes five cases of a rare lung infection – Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) – in young, gay men living in Los Angeles. By the time the report was released several of the men had died. In a few weeks, newspapers picked up the story about a “gay cancer,” resulting in additional cases of rare diseases among gay men reported to the CDC.
On June 8th the CDC formed a task force to look at why gay men were getting sick and dying.
By the end of 1981, 270 cases of rare diseases had been reported to the CDC, and 121 of these men had died.
Announcement Date: June 5, 1981
