Beyond the Myth: Origin Theory and Misconception of HIV/AIDS
As far as the HIV/AIDS discussion goes, much remains in the realm of speculation. Lucky for the public, the facts are being kept straight by medical professionals and historians.
But before HIV/AIDS was demystified, there were tons of theories that tried to unravel the truth. For others, the theory that HIV is a divine punishment against gay and bisexual men resonates with them. For others, it is a scheme to cut down the global population. But the ‘Monkey Theory’ holds significant weight, reflecting humanity’s nature.
The monkey
It is proposed that SIV (Simian Immunodeficiency Virus) crossed over to human beings. The monkey in question followed its habitual routine. Unaware that it would make its way into scientific journals and research papers.
The chimpanzee became game, bushmeat from a kill. But our little primate friend didn’t go down without a fight. It left an open wound on its hunter’s hand as it struggled for its life.
The man
This hunter’s battle scar was an entry point for the SIV virus. A virus that is exclusive to chimpanzees. The story would have ended there; perhaps the man’s immune system would detect the anomaly, and his white blood cells would lay waste to the virus.
But the human body did not officially recognise the virus as harmful. For all it knew, the virus was another cell in the vast majority. Over time, the virus mutated. The Monkey Theory suggests that through the process of zoonosis, the virus crossed species and is what we interpret today as HIV-1.
The mayhem
This suggests that the HIV-1 virus has African roots. The earliest record of infection dates back as early as 1920, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa.
The reason being bushmeat consumption.
The racist undertones in this African-origin theory are prevalent. Despite the continent’s richness in resources and culture, it is also the melting pot of global pandemics like Ebola, Yellow Fever.
Politically, such theories are influenced by an era of trade and colonialism. Colonialists in their strides saw everything that was African as primitive. They used that logic to deduce that Africans’ ancient ways were the cause of one of the world’s most fatal diseases.
Were they right?
Not entirely; in the United States, intravenous drug users and homosexuals acted as a medium for the virus. Not only did they succumb to it, but they also spread it. The United States Government did not intervene until it was too late; they deliberately denied funding for research on the matter.
Case in point: it only affects minorities. This negligence is the cause of the spread of infection. Not only does it affect homosexuals and heterosexuals alike, but also intravenous drug users and people who have no links to drugs whatsoever.
Although the idea that HIV originated outside of the United States stands. HIV is a global epidemic that affects people regardless of their religion, race, or sexuality. People of African descent, for example, those in the Caribbean, are victims of hate for claims of the spread of the virus further into the United States, where it ballooned in size and spread to the rest of the world.
