HIV/AIDS Can anybody tell me the origin of it?

Question

I am working for a NGO where almost all the clients who come there ask the question how did it come to origin. Please guys help me out

Answer 1

No ones really sure, but I have some theories. Some people think it was created in a lab, but it first showed up in the 70's and it usually takes ten years to become detectable in most people. I don't think anyone had the technology in the 50s. It's probably natural. There is another virus called HTLV which acts much like HIV and has been around for a long time. (it causes a cancer) There are many retroviruses, but we don't notice them because they aren't killing us. Viruses evolve very quickly, and this one happens to attack cells that are meant to fight it. (which HTLV also does) It's natural. The only suspicious thing about HIV is that we learned so much about it so quickly. People really do care about this disease and we are making progress. and it's not man made. There is no one to blame and that's why people don't want to believe HIV is natural. It's also scarier that it just happend. What will evolve next?

Answer 2

Most researchers believe that HIV originated in sub-Saharan Africa during the twentieth century. The first known case was recorded in 1959 in Kinshasa, today part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. From there it travelled to Haiti, then to the USA (1969) and on to the rest of the world.

There are two types of HIV that can infect humans (HIV-1 and HIV-2), both of which are believed to have come from primates (apes, chimps, etc).
The transfer appears to have been a result of direct contact with primates, eg hunting them.

There was also a theory that it was caused by Hilary Koprowski's research into a polio vaccine in the Belgian Congo, but this is not supported by much evidence.

Answer 3

Scientists identified a type of chimpanzee in West Africa as the source of HIV infection in humans. The virus most likely jumped to humans when humans hunted these chimpanzees for meat and came into contact with their infected blood. Over several years, the virus slowly spread across Africa and later into other parts of the world.
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/basic/#origin

Answer 4

Current theory suggests that a Simian Immunodeficiency Virus made a cross-species jump and began to affect humans.

It is not clear that the humans involved were having sex with monkeys. It is more likely that they were hunting, killing and eating the monkeys when the virus mutated and was able to infect the humans.

However, the evidence is not very clear on this.

Answer 5

I learned this last year in my Biology class so I can't tell you details/specifics but I know it originated from an infected monkey (in I THINK africa) that then gave it to a human.. HIV is derived from a primate disease, so it transposed into human form once it was passed... something like that, sorry i can't be more help

Answer 6

there are several different therories to the where abouts of which aids came from

a good movie to watch though would be "and the band played on"

it's factual, and shows how aids spread.

Answer 7

it came from SIV which is the version for monkeys...the thing is that the SIV has adapted to not be so virulent in monkeys and when it switched to the HIV version, it did not have enough time to adapt and evolve with humans cuz it doesnt want to kill off its host since it needs it, but it hasnt evolved enough with us so it's virulent

Answer 8

As far as I can recall;it came to Human beings from African Apes around 1960's .

Answer 9

originated in africa. people contracted it the virus from having sex with monkeys then having sex with humans

Answer 10

it originated in the African green monkey, i read this in my general knowledge book, i dont know if its true or false