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An article titled "Immunocompromised Homosexuals" was published in The Lancet describing five cases of young homosexual men being treated for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in Los Angeles.

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The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States convened its first interagency meeting in an effort to recruit the assistance of the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health in laboratory research and in investigating the history and cause of the disease.

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According to Dr Bruce Evatt at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, his division started to "vigorously pursue the possibility that the new syndrome was blood borne" in early 1982 and that "June and July became pivotal months in CDC thinking about AIDS."

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A regional transfusion directors meeting was held. There was no discussion of AIDS.

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The inaugural meeting of the UK Working Party on Transfusion-Associated Hepatitis was held. There was no consideration of the threat of AIDS.

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In his letter to Dr Harold Gunson, Dr John Craske proposed changing the name of the National Blood Transfusion Service Working Party on Post Transfusion Hepatitis to the Working Party on Transfusion Associated Diseases to allow for a discussion of problems which might arise, such as cytomegalovirus infections transmitted by the transfusion of AIDS.

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The regional transfusion directors' Committee Working Party on Transfusion-Associated Hepatitis was constituted. Its terms of references were agreed as follows: (i) the promotion of investigations of the epidemiology of transfusion-associated hepatitis; (ii) the promotion of research into methods of prevention; and (iii) making recommendations to the directors of the UK Transfusion Service regarding procedures and screening tests.

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A meeting of regional transfusion directors was held. There was no discussion of the threat of AIDS.

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A meeting of the Advisory Committee of the National Blood Transfusion Service was held. There was no discussion of the threat of AIDS.

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A meeting of the UK Working Party of Transfusion-Associated Hepatitis was held. Dr John Craske summarised the current situation on AIDS and mentioned the involvement of homosexuals. It was noted that in the US it was recommended that homosexuals with AIDS be deferred from donating blood or organs. There was no consideration of the UK following suit.

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A meeting of the UK Working Party on Transfusion-Associated Hepatitis was held. The topic of AIDS was discussed.

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A meeting of the Central Blood Laboratories Authority was held. Dr Harold Gunson reported that regional transfusion directors had considered all the American literature on AIDS, and at the next meeting of their committee it would be recommended that no further measures be taken, apart from those that had already been carried out.

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The Department of Health held a telephone discussion with Dr Harold Gunson to discuss actions being taken on AIDS. Several actions were discussed in relation to the approach to UK blood donors.

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Dr Harold Gunson wrote to Dr Diana Walford about discussions on AIDS at the Council of Europe meeting.

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Dr William Wagstaff wrote to colleagues about discussions with the Department of Health and Social Security on AIDS. It was stated that "senior staff at DHSS are a little perturbed that the low key approach being recommended by the NBTS [National Blood Transfusion Service] is at odds with the more aggressive measures being taken in the United States".

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Dr William Wagstaff circulated a copy of the final form of the AIDS leaflet to colleagues.

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Dr Ian Fraser wrote to Dr William Wagstaff stating that the medical staff at the South Western Regional Transfusion Centre did not support the idea of asking donors, on the questionnaire, if they had had night sweats, weight loss or lymph gland enlargement. Further, they did not support the idea of handing out the AIDS leaflet to all donors and preferred to place them on prominent display.

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Dr Tovey wrote to Dr William Wagstaff about the AIDS leaflet, stating he was "strongly in favour of keeping this matter low key."

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Dr Collins wrote to Dr William Wagstaff about the AIDS leaflet, stating he and his colleagues were in support of it being made available to all donors.

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Dr Colin Entwistle wrote to Dr William Wagstaff about their approach to blood donor questioning regarding AIDS, stating that they did not consider that the aggressive approach was justified.

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