I. Intro
Where it all started
HIV (cause of AIDS) started somewhere around Sub-Saharan Africa. And it actually didn't start in Humans. The 1st victims of HIV were Chimpanzees (fg. 1). But in these Chimps it was actually called SIV (Simian immunodeficiency Virus). Humans weren't even infected with HIV until the late 19th or early 20th centuries. (1)
(fg. 1)II. Discovery
By May of 1983 doctors from the Pasteur Institute in France had reported that
they discovered a new virus that was the cause of AIDS (. It was named
Lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV). These doctors sent a sample of the newly
discovered virus to U.S. Centers of Disease Control. The U.S. Disease Control then
passed this on to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). About a year later, an American team of scientists led by R. Gallo, confirmed this discovery by renaming it human T lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III). Another year later, the international committee on Taxonomy of Viruses decided that this virus should have a new name to be identified as: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). And the FDA approved the 1st HIV test and was also used in Japan.Then in 1987 the 1st HIV treatment drug: zidovudin and Retrovir, is released. (1) (2)
III. Impact on world
Up to present day, almost 25 million people have died from AIDs which is caused by HIV. This had killed many parents causing the numbers of children orphans to increase(fg 2).
(fg. 2)
The child is also forced to grow up faster and lose their childhood to work and take care of siblings. In children alone there have been about 280,000 deaths. It has also been the case that this virus weakens your immune system and makes you more prone to other illnesses this has put a lot of people out of work thus increasing poverty percentages. But infection and death from the virus is not an equal toll everywhere. There are more cases of HIV/AIDS in undeveloped countries (fg. 3). (3)
(fg. 3)
IV. Journal article review
In short, this is defiantly a good example that all living beings are related somehow. HIV was transmitted from Chimps (as SIV) to humans (HIV). From 1983- 1987 HIV wasn’t called HIV. It went through years long processes before there was the official name that is presently used globally. (1)
V. References
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_AIDS -PDF
(2) http://www.aegis.com/topics/timeline/default.asp
(2) http://www.aegis.com/topics/timeline/default.asp
(3) http://www.globalhealth.org/hiv_aids/
Picture Sources
(fg. 2) http://images.ask.com/fr?q=world+hiv+statistics
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