| Description | UK Government documents chiefly relating to HIV and AIDS prevention measures and to monitoring and surveying the epidemic in the UK. The Department of Health and Social Security and then Department of Health were initially in charge of responding to the epidemic; this includes the original public education campaigns from spring 1986 to spring 1987 before this responsibility was transferred to the Health Education Authority; publishing quarterly and monthly figures for HIV infection and deaths related to AIDS; running a number of internal expert committees such as the Expert Advisory Group on AIDS (EAGA) and publishing guidance documents for medical personnel and public workers on the disease and those affected.
The files contained within the archives reflects the many functions of the department in tackling the disease and include: press releases; Chief Medical Officer's report on the disease; minutes; circulars; reports; press cuttings and public information campaign material in the form of leaflets, booklets and a poster. Material also includes information on the foundation of the National AIDS Helpline set up by the government in 1986. |