AIDS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

AIDS - Essay Example In recognition of his contribution, in late 1990, the US Congress passed the Ryan White Care Act which provides funding for care, education and prevention of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV is a lentivirus which attacks the immune system. There are two main strains of the virus: HIV-1 which is particularly virulent, and HIV-2. The name lentivirus means slow virus – due to the fact that they take years to destabilize the immune system. Lentivirii have been found in a number of mammals, but of particular interest is the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) which is found in monkeys. HIV-2 is very similar at molecular level to SIVsm which afflicts the sooty mangabey (also known as the green monkey), naturally found in West Africa. In 1999 Paul Sharp of Nottingham University and Beatrice Hahn of the University of Alabama completed a 10 year study into the origin of the virus in humans. They satisfied the scientific community that the HIV-1 virus had crossed from chimpanzees to humans. The cross-over of viruses from one species to another is called zoonosis. It is believed that the virus mutated once it found a new host in humans to become HIV-1. Since the virus is most easily transferred by blood, most of the theories suggest that the route of transmission must have been either the consumption of an infected chimpanzee or through a contaminated vaccine or syringe. The earliest known death from HIV-1 took place in 1959. However, Dr Bette Korber of the Los Alamos National Laboratory presented results in January 2000 at the 7th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections which indicated that the HIV-1 strain has been around since the 1930s. Belgian researchers led by Dr Anne-Mieke Vandamme, published findings in ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Science’ in 2003. Their conclusion was that HIV-2 originated in sooty mangabeys around 1940 - 1945. They claimed that the most likely place of origin was the former