Abstract AIDS has become the new plague; a disease that is not only physically and psychologically debilitating, but culturally and socially devastating as well. Like the plague, AIDS has caused fear, prejudice and even panic in society. Although there are remarkable improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, AIDS continues its grim passage around the globe. After a slight downturn in the early 1990’s, it then returned with a vengeance. By the end of the 20th century, AIDS was reliably estimated to have caused over 20 million deaths throughout the world. At the same time, 40 million people were estimated to be HIV positive. This paper provides an overview of the history of AIDS, including the discovery and its progress in the world through philately. Philately is the study of stamps and postal history and other related items. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting, it contains the study of the design and educational impact of a philatelic material. We have presented AIDS stamps produced world-wide to emphasize the history of AIDS. Turkish Geçtigimiz yüzyil ortaya çikan yeni hastaliklardan birisi AIDS’tir. Kisa sürede çagimizin en tehlikeli hastaligi haline gelen AIDS, ilk kez 1981’de ABD’de kaposi sarkoma (kemik, kikirdak, deri ve lifli dokularda tutunan bir kanser türü) adli bir hastaligin olagandisi artisi sonucunda tespit edildi. “Edinilmis bagisiklik yetersizligi sendromu” sözcüklerinin Ingilizce bas harflerinden olusan AIDS, birkaç yil içinde dünyanin dört bir kösesine yayilarak ölümcül bir salgin boyutuna ulasti. BM’nin geçen yil yayinladigi rapora göre, dünyada 40 milyona yakin insan AIDS’in pençesinde bogusuyor. Bu yeni hastaligin farkina varilmasindan dört yil sonra, hastaliga sebep olan ve cinsel iliskiyle, kan yoluyla ve anneden bebege geçerek insandan insana bulasan HIV virüsü tanimlandi. Bu yazida, tematik filateli yoluyla HIV virüsünün kesfinin öyküsü anlatilamaktadir.

Keywords: AIDS, HIV, infection, immunity, history, philately