was approved in 1985. Over the next several years medications to combat the virus were developed as well as medicines to prevent infections that flourish when HIV and AIDS damage the immune systems. By the end of 1987, there were 71,000 confirmed cases of AIDS, resulting in over 40,000 deaths. So where are we 18 years later? Thanks to an ever-changing array of new anti-retroviral drugs and improved funding for early medical care, AIDS related deaths in the US are declining. People are healthier and living longer. But, in other parts of the world, the AIDS epidemic rages on. Some estimate that 40% of persons in the sub-Sahara region of Africa are HIV infected. Many of these people don't realize they are infected, resulting in the infection of others, adding to the spread of the disease. Another grim reminder of the epidemic is the number of African children orphaned by AIDS. Streets are clogged with children who have lost their parents to AIDS, have no food, and no place to go. And with no money available for expensive HIV drugs, the epidemic is expected to get much worse, with estimates of 20,000,000 infected over the next 5 years. It's impossible to say, but I often wonder if anyone could foresee the mysterious illness affecting a few gay men in 1981, becoming the epidemic that would forever change the way in which we all live?How does this apply to the play?This may not be important in the acting process, but this is what Peter would have been looking at in 1989. Most of the people who received AIDS in the beginning contracted it in the 1960s and 1970s. This is when Peter was in his 20s and free love reigned. This was a really fear for the homosexuals in the 80s. Many people got it and many others feared that they did. No one knew how they were getting it or who had it. This is great for the character research....
