Fauci Looks Back On AIDS Work 40 Years After First U.S. Case Report The NIH director was criticized for his response in the early days of the crisis, but has since led the agency to developing highly effective treatments. Before he became a fixture of COVID-19 news coverage, Dr. Anthony Fauci was best known for his work to combat the AIDS crisis, which emerged not unlike the coronavirus as a mysterious and alarming new sickness in the late 1970s. Saturday marks 40 years since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified the first cases of AIDS in the nation: five men ranging in age from 29 to 36, described as “active homosexuals” living in the Los Angeles area. Four had no previous health troubles.