4H disease

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Coined in 1981 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since the then newly-discovered disease seemed to affect mainly the "four H's": homosexuals, heroin users, hemophiliacs, and Haitians.

Noun

4H disease (uncountable)

  1. (dated, derogatory, offensive) AIDS.
    • 2022, Rinaldo F. Canalis, Massimo Ciavolella, Valeria Finucci, Rethinking Medical Humanities
      Dr. Peter Piot a Belgian physician noticed that among patients who came from Africa there were as many women as men suffering from the “4H disease.”
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