The Origin of HIV - Essay Example

The Origin of H.I.V/Aids: An Etiological Myth Insert Insert Back the 1980s, there came a disease never before seen by man. It affected human immunity by attacking and killing the crucial immune cells that are responsible for killing cells that have been infected with diseases. These attacked cells are known as the t-helper cells. With t-helper cells killed, it means that the human body does not have a defense system leading to a gradual death of the infected people. Since then, scientists all over the planet have been puzzled as they try to understand the sickness better and create a cure for it. The disease came to be known as AIDS. It is caused by a virus known as human immunodeficiency virus and until date, a cure for the disease that has led to the death of millions of people with an estimate of about 35 million people. It is currently infected and crumbling livelihoods all over the planet, which has not been found though the scientific world recently succeeded in its endeavors by discovering a way they can reduce the adverse effects of the deadly virus by the use of antiretroviral drugs (Spectacullar Museum, 2012). So what is the origin of this deadly disease that is crumbling our societies? One of the myths that can explain as to how the virus originated is that it came from monkeys. According to this myth, it is believed that humans acquired the virus from their interactions with these primates. A central African state of Cameroon is believed to be the place it first happened. A community in the central African state consumed monkey meat as a customary activity whereby men had to hunt down the animal for food when their mother-in-law visited. The ideology of this myth is that these men were infected through wounds in their bodies if they come to contact with the blood of the now cannibalized monkey, which contained simian immunodeficiency virus. The myth has it that the virus in the monkey could have replicated in the hunters blood which they the passed to other people through unprotected sex, blood transfusion and generally any other form that enables contact of blood with other people. The myth has backing from the scientific world. Researchers from the University of Alabama discovered a striking resemblance to the deadly virus in human beings and those found in infected monkeys. The research, which was done back in February 1999, also posted yet another important aspect of this issue, could HIV have crossed species? The answer to this, ‘probably’. Research has shown that certain viruses can cross species and scientists have named this transfer process as zoonosis. The myth of HIV being due to the interaction with monkeys is still a widely accepted myth in the central African region (avert.org, 2000). Other than this, what other myths about the origin of HIV and AIDS are out there? Well, there is one other myth claiming that HIV and AIDS originated from a laboratory experiment. According to this myth, the virus could have been deliberately developed to wipe out a massive number of people. In Africa, a significant number of people believe this myth; they believe that it was an act that intended to wipe people off the face of the planet. In America, a large number of African Americans believe that HIV-AIDS was indeed manufactured in a laboratory in a biological warfare with an intention to wipe out large numbers of black Americans and homosexual people. The myth links HIV-AIDS to the experimental vaccine that was used to vaccinate against hepatitis B. The vaccine was tested on a young homosexual who later was contaminated with the deadly virus. The hepatitis vaccine would then be introduced in a number of African countries in the early 1980s, and these countries started experiencing this HIV epidemic and soon they had become HIV epicenters (Spectacullar Museum, 2012). Seen as creating more backing for this myth, the findings from a research by a Scottish surgeon done in an hospital in Kampala Uganda back in the early 1980s showed that older people were not infected meaning that it was a young disease probably due to the introduction of the vaccine. Another myth relates the origin of HIV and AIDS to colonialism. Back in the 19th century, a better part of Africa was still under colonial the regime whereby the conditions were harsh, and the African people had to be subjected to forced labor, poor sanitation, and scarce food. The myth asserts that these harsh conditions contributed to an unhealthy workforce and therefore weakening their immunity system, which gave way to the zoonosis process to easily, take place through monkey cannibalization. The workers camps were also known to have prostitutes who would be employed to keep the workers happy (Origin of AIDS, 2011). This acted as a medium to spread the disease much faster. Then there is the famous myth claiming that HIV and AIDS originated from our creators as a means of punishment. Back in the 80s when the HIV pandemic struck, much of the worlds population especially in Africa still believed in traditional gods such as the Kalenjin community in the east African country called Kenya who attributed the sun as their god. Such communities strongly believe that their god would punish them by sending his wrath if they did wrong or did not please him. In addition, for that reason, the HIV and AIDS pandemic that hit the world is a punishment from above. Those that are moral and adhere to a specific religion are safe from this threat. Some even believe that it is due to acts of immorality taking place in the world that is leading to their demise. In America, the myth of the origin of AIDS deals with the punishment of homosexuals and bestiality from an angry Christian god. An unknown homosexual man from the United States went to an inner African State. While traveling in a forest region, this man came upon a tribe. The chief offered the man his beautiful daughter. When the man refused, the chief drove the man deeper into an uninhabited part of Africa. According to myth the man could not tame his sexual urges. Instead of bedding the chief’s daughter, he allowed himself to be driven into the area where monkeys were in an overabundance. His only option was sex with the monkeys. Since HIV/AIDS is spread through sexual contact the first case was transmitted sexually from monkey to man. Since all homosexuals are promiscuous, according to myth, the American man returned home. He infected other homosexuals and the disease spread rapidly. Homosexuals passed the disease on to other homosexuals and bisexuals. Of course this is just a myth. The HIV/AIDS ravished homosexuals in the 1980s due to the stigma of being gay. Two men would not protect themselves during sex due to the theory if you did not look sick you were not, or the fear of buying condoms. The disease also did not just ravish the homosexual community, but everyone. It can be passed during sex, but also during medical procedures as well. Homosexuality was just a scapegoat. The myth of the homosexual was also tied into the United States knowingly letting this man into the country instead of quarantining him. This man was a scientist. The health check coming back into the country showed something wrong with him. However, the United States did not want to infringe on his rights in one retelling, in another the United States wanted wage war on homosexuals. This man could spread a disease killing all homosexuals and drug addicts. This has never been proven. Whether a wrath from the heavens, biological warfare, bestiality, government conspiracy or outcomes of cannibalism, the origin of this pandemic that is threatening our humanity is not yet clear. All we have now are just but myths with a little backing, but that is all (Spectacullar Museum, 2012). A great novelist once said that you will first need to understand your past to know your future, and maybe that is why scientists have not been able to solve this puzzle, because they have not been able to clearly understand how it came to exist to be able to rat out the pandemic. References avert.org. (2000). The origin of HIV and aids. Retrieved 2015, from avert.org: www.avert.org/origin-hiv-aids.htm The origin of aids. (2011). The origin of aids. Retrieved 2015, from origin of aids: www.originofaids.com Spectacullar Museum. (2012, May 4). Astonishing science, spectacular museum. Retrieved May 29, 2015, from Spectacular Museum: www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/whoami/findoutmore/yourbody/whatdoesyourimmunesystemdo/whatisaids/howdoeshivaffectthebody.aspx Read More