The origin of AIDS has been the root of much controversy in the past twenty
years. The first recorded case of AIDS within the United
States occurred in 1981. Scientists have
determined that AIDS originated from the simian monkey. This species of monkey
is common in the Sahara region of Africa.
The virus that affects monkeys is referred to as SIV. This is the same virus as
HIV; however, this virus does not cause deaths in monkeys. Many who have
studied AIDS conclude that monkeys have been infected with this virus for
centuries. Similar to how the virus is passed among humans, monkeys become
infected with SIV through sexual conduct. The puzzling question is: How did
humans become infected?
Many theories exist as to how HIV began to affect the human race. Years ago,
one popular belief was that an African man engaged in bestiality with an
infected monkey. Bestiality involves engaging in sexual activity with an
animal. Massive research has since dismissed this claim. It appears that one
origin of HIV and AIDS can be linked to improperly bleeding animals prior to
eating. Many African lands have a diet that included monkeys. Once a human
digested the blood of an infected monkey, they placed themselves at great risk
of being infected. This attributed to a high number of individuals affected
with AIDS in African lands. Yet, another question arises: How did HIV originate
in the United States?
In the late 1970’s, doctors discovered that a new string of illnesses had
surfaced. This illness was similar to cancer, however the progression rate was
faster and the body did not respond well to treatment. Unexplainably, the
majority of those afflicted were homosexual males. Although the exact origin of
HIV in the United States
cannot be proven, one theory suggests that a homosexual flight attendant
engaged in sexual intercourse with an infected African. This individual’s
return to the United States
was the beginning of this countries fight against AIDS.