Origin of HIV & AIDS

1. Origin of HIV & AIDS Where did HIV come from? In medical terms, HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is a sexually transmitted infection that can spread through bodily fluids. Its most common cause is unprotected sexual intercourse. Today, people know almost everything about the virus and are still confused about its origin. Some connect HIV to SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus), while others say it came from chimpanzees. With no doubt, HIV and SIV have a lot in common since HIV is closely linked to a strain of SIV known as SIVcpz. Did the virus come from Monkeys? In the year 1999, researchers came across a strain of SIV known as SIVcpz in a chimpanzee. This strain, when investigated, was found to be identical to HIV in humans. Furthermore, it was concluded that the virus came from chimpanzees. The same researchers further conducted several studies and discovered that the chimpanzees subsequently hunted and ate red-capped mangabeys and greater spot- nosed monkeys, i.e., the two small species of monkeys. This is why the chimpanzees got infected with the two strains of SIV. Surprisingly, the two strains then gave rise to the third strain that started to get passed on to other chimpanzees.

2. HIV transmission: From Chimpanzees to Humans “Hunting” is the only accepted concept that clarifies the transmission of HIV from one species to the other. When a strain similar to that of HIV was found in chimpanzees, the researchers put light on the incidence where chimpanzees hunted and ate the monkeys that contained the virus. After that, humans got the virus in a similar way. By now, it is known that due to hunting or bruising of chimpanzees, the blood of chimpanzees contracted that of the humans and the virus transmitted. First HIV case The first HIV case in humans was confirmed in Congo, Central Africa. A man died and was later confirmed of having an HIV infection. The reports were evaluated with respect to his preserved blood samples. In India, the first case of HIV infection was reported in six female sex workers in 1986 by Dr. Suniti Solomon and Dr. Sellappan Nirmala in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Moreover, the National AIDS Committee was established by the Government within the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Early HIV Symptoms HIV infection can cause different symptoms at different stages. Some of the common signs that people experienced from the very start are as follows:  Fever  Chills  Skin rash  Headache  Drowsiness  Dizziness  Muscle aches  Sore throat  Fatigue  Swollen lymph nodes  Mouth ulcers Further, the first medicine that was introduced for the treatment of HIV infection is AZT. This is also referred to as zidovudine. It is a drug that belongs to the group of medicines called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). Further, researchers are continuously looking forward to introducing more specifications of HIV and its medications. Source: http://writeus.me/origin-of-hiv-aids/