First 500,000 AIDS cases--United States, 1995

As of October 31, 1995, a total of 501,310 persons with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have been reported to CDC by state and territorial health departments; 311,381 (62%) had been reported as having died. The AIDS surveillance case definition was substantially expanded in late 1987 and again in 1993 to reflect increased knowledge of the natural history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and to remain consistent with the clinical management of HIV disease (1,2). This report presents rates of reported AIDS cases for 1994 and describes the temporal changes in the characteristics of persons reported with AIDS during three periods corresponding to changes in the AIDS case definition--1981-1987, 1988-1992, and 1993-October 1995--and how this information can be used to plan local, state, and national prevention programs.