I also recall epidemiologists noticing a great increase in Kaposi's sarcoma.Because the virus jumped from chimpanzees to humans in poor, rural, Africa. Medical care was abysmal there, people died inexplicably all the time. Nobody noticed a new disease with no obvious symptoms. You don't actually die from HIV, it's all the infections resulting from a weak or nonexistent immune system.
The first known case in the USA was an airline employee, who spread it across the country in no time. But even then, nobody noticed it. What the CDC noticed was a sudden surge in orders for Pentamidine, drug rarely needed. It was only used for one exotic lung parasite. When it was finally identified the victims were overwhelmingly gay men and addicts, so few people even cared.
More often it was cheered as God Smiting the sinners.
But the fact remains it's still primarily a disease afflicting poor Africa people.
Tom
Btw, there was a religious aspect to the disease.
God visited it upon gay men as punishment.
But a lesbian announced that their not contracting
AIDS mean that they were God's chosen people.