HIV origins

Howdy group!

            It's another weekend and another topic to discuss. Today I'd like to introduce you the world of contagious diseases. You can be surprised but I don't mean pathetic AH1N1 which is a hot topic for most people right now. Why pathetic? Despite the horror stories, 90% of those who become infected go on to make a full recovery. However, what about human immunodeficiency virus also called HIV?

            Human immunodeficiency virus is a member of the retrovirus family that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome also called AIDS, a condition which the immune system begins to fail.
AIDS has killed more people than the first and second world wars combined.
Now at this point you are probably thinking: so what? This don't affect me, HIV is the problem of third world at the moment but it's not true. Everyone is potentially at risk even if don't use drugs and don't have sexual life.

How could HIV have crossed species?

            There was a lot of theories about HIV origin. Most assumed that the virus passed to us from apes and that firs infections occurred in Africa between 1910 and 1930. Non of them explain how exactly it spread on mankind so quick and effectively. It can live for only 20 seconds in the air.

The Hunter Theory

            The most commonly accepted theory. In this scenario, virus was transferred to humans as a result of chimps being killed and eaten or their blood getting into cuts or wounds on the hunter.

The Oral Polio Vaccine theory

            It suggests that HIV was transferred via oral polio vaccine. The oral polio vaccine called Chat, given to about a million people in the Belgian Congo, Ruanda and Urundi in the late 1950s. To be reproduced, live polio vaccine needs to be cultivated in living tissue, and Hooper's belief is that Chat was grown in kidney cells taken from local chimps infected. In February 2000 the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia announced that it had discovered in its stores a phial of polio vaccine that had been used as part of the program. The vaccine was subsequently analysed and in April 2001 it was announced that no trace had been found of HIV. A second analysis confirmed that only macaque monkey kidney cells, which cannot be infected with HIV.

The Contaminated Needle Theory

            This is an extension of the original 'hunter' theory. In the 1950s, the use of disposable plastic syringes became commonplace around the world as a cheap, sterile way to administer medicines. However, to African health-care professionals working on inoculation and other medical programs, the huge quantities of syringes needed would have been very costly. It is therefore likely that one single syringe would have been used to inject multiple patients without any sterilization in between.

The Colonialism Theory

            During the late 19th and early 20th century, much of Africa was ruled by colonial forces. In areas such as French Equatorial Africa and the Belgian Congo, colonial rule was particularly harsh and many Africans were forced into labour camps where sanitation was poor, food was scarce and physical demands were extreme. Moore also believes that many of the labourers would have been inoculated with unsterile needles against diseases.

The Conspiracy Theory

            Some say that HIV is a 'conspiracy theory' or that it is 'man-made'. A recent survey carried out in the US for example, identified a significant number of African Americans who believe HIV was manufactured as part of a biological warfare programme, designed to wipe out large numbers of black and homosexual people.

The Polish theory :-)

            During my research I found the memoirs of the Polish traveler and writer, Andrzej Korsak. In the 80th's Korsak was a ship doctor. In one of the ports of Tanzania had the opportunity to hear the strange story of the origin of this disease. It's my favorite theory. I'm not a good interpreter at all so I'll give it as a link in order to keep the message.

link
            According to this text, we got HIV as a result of use cheaper therapy. Therapy that uses monkey blood to cause high fever, healing thousands of patients and spread the virus among humans. Monkey blood was used in many countries. For example, the Americans used it on prisoners.

Questions:

            What is your opinion about that? Do you still trust the organization that deals with your health, for example WHO? Which theory do you think is most likely? Or maybe you have your own theory?

Sources:

wikipedia.org
avert.org
upload.wikipedia.org
focus.pl
aidshiv.suite101.com
evolution.berkeley.edu
aidsonline.org
luther.edu
luther.edu