Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

How the 1980s Aids crisis left its mark on Aberdeen

AIDS and HIV cast a blight over the north-east in the 1980s and 1990s.
AIDS and HIV cast a blight over the north-east in the 1980s and 1990s.

It was the epidemic which erupted across the world in the 1980s and claimed the lives of such figures as actors Ian Charleson, Denholm Elliott and Anthony Perkins, ballet maestro Rudolf Nureyev and pop star Freddie Mercury.

Yet, even as Aids and HIV cast a blight over the lives of millions of people, the words of a poem called Tolerance, which were found in the wallet of a young American victim in 1987, reflected the desire of the gay community not to be stigmatised.

It read: “One of the most loveable qualities a person can possess is tolerance,

“It is the vision that enables me to see things from another’s viewpoint,

“It is the generosity that concedes to others the right to their peculiarities,

“And it is the ‘bigness’ to let people be happy in their own way instead of our way.”

Plenty of people in Aberdeen and across the north-east were ready to heed the message and raise Aids awareness and help those affected – but, even in 1990, there were others who resorted to homophobic abuse and described it as a “judgment from God”.

The stark government warning poster from 1986.

In 1984, scientists had identified the Human Immunodeficiency Virus – the organism which led to the development of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Aids).

But although the United States Secretary of State for Health predicted that a cure would be found within the next two years, the search for new “miracle” drugs proved elusive and every month brought fresh cases of HIV infections in almost every country.

By 1990, the UK Government’s chief medical officer, Sir Donald Acheson, reported that while the rate of positive HIV tests among the homosexual community was declining, the rates of infection among heterosexual people were sharply increasing.

Ignorance and prejudice crashed head-on

Some lurid banner headlines in the tabloids were followed by far-right agitators in London and Edinburgh daubing swastikas and obscene slogans on the properties of those targeted for vilification – and Rhona Cowie, Aids counsellor for Grampian Health Board, told The Press and Journal she was aware of at least one case in which a man, whose PARTNER had been diagnosed as HIV-positive, was dismissed from his job.

Yet at least, amid such ignorant prejudice, others responded with a positive approach and the realisation that building bridges was better than smashing them to pieces.

The health board had placed a “discreet” press advertisement in February 1990, seeking volunteers for an Aberdeen Buddy Group, dedicated to providing individual care for those living with Aids or HIV and who were judged to be most vulnerable.

The P&J reported: “A few abusive and threatening letters arrived in response, but about 100 Grampian residents, from all walks of life, came forward, who were prepared to undertake a delicate caring role and challenge any prevailing idea that HIV or Aids inevitably leaves patients without friends or with a much-reduced quality of life.

“Buddies became active in the United States and in London as the Aids crisis mounted in the 1980s and the scheme has established a wide support network, for those who were either struggling with the disease or felt overwhelmed by a positive diagnosis.”

As Rhona Cowie said: “A Buddy is somebody who understands the illness and who understands that confidentiality is of prime importance.”

Aids could strike anybody

The initiative gradually increased the range of services it could offer and became a lifeline for many in the region, but the death of Bohemian Rhapsody singer Mercury towards the end of November 1991 served as a reminder that Aids could strike anybody.

Queen frontman Freddie Mercury died from an Aids-related illness in November 1991.

And at the grassroots, although new treatments were being created, the concerns among young people in particular heightened as news spread of yet another celebrity succumbing to the illness which had become an emotionally-charged subject.

Ms Cowie told the P&J: “Our problem may be on a much smaller scale than in London, Glasgow or Edinburgh, but the problems for the individuals are the same and receiving an HIV-positive diagnosis is shattering news for anyone.

“It combines sex and death – two of the most potent images there are.”

And, soon enough, there was further disturbing news when The P&J revealed on its front page in September 1992 that babies had been born in Grampian with HIV.

A government health campaign leaflet from the late 1980s.

In a report released on the eve of World Aids Day, it was confirmed that “at least four babies have been born in Aberdeen with the HIV virus. Two were born in 1990 and two in 1991, according to official figures”.

“However, the number born with the virus could be higher as there is a slight chance that medical staff would not know the babies carried it.”

Experts in the Grampian region confirmed: “If an HIV mother is healthy, there is only a 6% chance of the child developing Aids – but breastfeeding doubles the risk.”

One woman spoke of her ‘living hell’

Yet, behind the statistics, there were real people with often heartbreaking stories of how their lives had been ripped apart after being diagnosed with the disease.

One woman told The P&J: “The news I had HIV was truly traumatic and the most difficult problem for me was having to live with this threat hanging over me. There is very much a stigma attached to HIV/Aids and you feel the need for total anonymity.

“I kept hoping that the tests would come back negative, but then the timebomb exploded and I became extremely ill. I had full-blown Aids and it is a living hell.”

The P&J said the unnamed woman was still being kept alive by drugs.

The organisation Aberdeen Drugs Action was among those who worked hard to tackle the issue in the early 1990s, but were often hampered by financial constraints which meant they had to make very little money go an awful long way.

Cath Pilley took up the post of HIV and drugs worker with ADA in the summer of 1991 and, despite budgetary limitations, poured her heart and soul into her new role.

She created seminars for staff and inmates at Craiginches Prison in the city and provided a similar service for women’s groups. She also developed plans to promote better awareness of HIV and Aids among the general population, both to break down barriers and make it clear almost everybody was at risk from the disease.

Scientists worked hard to develop treatments for tackling HIV and Aids.

As The P&J put it: “If a very determined young woman by the name of Cath Pilley gets her way, tea breaks at workplaces in the north-east may never be the same again.

“Depending on the outcome of a funding application by Cath’s employer (ADA), which will be considered at tomorrow’s meeting of Grampian Regional Council’s social work committee, workers in the area could find informal education on Aids, drugs usage and safe-sex practices on the canteen menu with egg and chips.”

The council chairman, Brian Balcombe, personally backed her campaign. But, in the end, he admitted there was almost no money to implement such bold proposals.

He said: “Aids is a very serious problem and unless we spend money now, we will pay the consequences later. But we are getting inundated with (funding) requests and we only have £38,000 to allocate to new applications – and that includes ADA.”

Advances in treatment

Since the discovery of HIV and Aids in the 1980s, a substantial number of advances have been made in its treatment, though it remains widespread in Africa in particular.

The virus, and its subsequent evolution into Aids, was once regarded as a death sentence and World Health Organisation figures show that upwards of 40 million people have succumbed to the disease: a horrific toll in anyone’s terms.

However, treatments today are so advanced that HIV is now a “very treatable and manageable infection” and people can live with the disease to old age.

The fight against the virus isn’t over – at least 35 million people across the world were reported as having HIV at the end of 2021 – but thankfully, the vast majority of attitudes towards Aids no longer remain stuck in the 1980s.


More like this:

How tatties and typhoid ham epidemic brought Aberdeen to a standstill

Conversation