Conspiracy Theories Essay 2
Hailee Way
Professor J. Pryor
English 1A
9 March 2015
Word Count: 1088
The Spread of HIV/AIDS
In the early 1980s, scientists first shed light to an all-new illness. AIDS and HIV, for over twenty years, have been a discussion and fierce debate among many social groups. Many conspiracy theories have come amongst topics, ranging from non-human primates to vaccines and lastly, a government created experiment. In this essay, I will provide a deeper look into the origin of HIV and AIDS, and ultimately explaining why it may not be from chimpanzees, but rather an experiment that got out of hand.
The first recognized case of AIDS, which occurred in the United States was reported in the early 1980s. Gay men in New York and California began to experience rare infections and cancers, which couldn’t be cured using any treatment option. During this period, the reported cases were only of men and gay men, in particular. The virus strand later became known as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), this is also the same virus that causes AIDS. There are known to be two types of HIV strands: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 strand is much more severe than the second type, causing it become more viral and spread infections globally. HIV-2 is located in West Africa and has a lesser potential for spreading than the first strand. What we are today, is that the HIV strands originated from Africa, where monkeys first transmitted the disease to humans. This theory is believable, and not to be discredited in any way. Wild chimpanzees found in forests of Southern Cameroon were killed off for a meat supply, for human consumption. In May 2003, a group of researchers published a report of samples they had analyzed, coming from sooty mangabeys. The report stated that subtype A passed the virus to humans around 1940, and subtype B passed it on in 1945. This research concluded that the virus strands originated in Guinea-Bissau where it was most likely spread by the independence war in that country
Professor J. Pryor
English 1A
9 March 2015
Word Count: 1088
The Spread of HIV/AIDS
In the early 1980s, scientists first shed light to an all-new illness. AIDS and HIV, for over twenty years, have been a discussion and fierce debate among many social groups. Many conspiracy theories have come amongst topics, ranging from non-human primates to vaccines and lastly, a government created experiment. In this essay, I will provide a deeper look into the origin of HIV and AIDS, and ultimately explaining why it may not be from chimpanzees, but rather an experiment that got out of hand.
The first recognized case of AIDS, which occurred in the United States was reported in the early 1980s. Gay men in New York and California began to experience rare infections and cancers, which couldn’t be cured using any treatment option. During this period, the reported cases were only of men and gay men, in particular. The virus strand later became known as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), this is also the same virus that causes AIDS. There are known to be two types of HIV strands: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 strand is much more severe than the second type, causing it become more viral and spread infections globally. HIV-2 is located in West Africa and has a lesser potential for spreading than the first strand. What we are today, is that the HIV strands originated from Africa, where monkeys first transmitted the disease to humans. This theory is believable, and not to be discredited in any way. Wild chimpanzees found in forests of Southern Cameroon were killed off for a meat supply, for human consumption. In May 2003, a group of researchers published a report of samples they had analyzed, coming from sooty mangabeys. The report stated that subtype A passed the virus to humans around 1940, and subtype B passed it on in 1945. This research concluded that the virus strands originated in Guinea-Bissau where it was most likely spread by the independence war in that country
Cited: "AIDS." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 2015. Web. 9 Mar. 2015. "Conspiracy Theories." Time. Time Inc., 20 Nov. 2008. Web. 09 Mar. 2015. "Origin of HIV & AIDS." Origin of HIV & AIDS. Http://www.avert.org/origin-hiv-aids.htm, n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2015. "The Secret Origins of AIDS: Facts, Fallacies & Conspiracy Theories." New Dawn The Worlds Most Unusual Magazine. ALAN CANTWELL, MD, 9 Aug. 2005. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.