The History of AIDS: When Was It Discovered and How Did It Enter Human Populations?
AIDS has long been a major public concern, yet its history remains less understood. When was AIDS first discovered, and how did it make its way into the human population?
Join us as we delve into the history of AIDS and uncover its origins.
The Origin of AIDS
Theories About HIV's Origin
Three main theories about the origin of HIV have circulated: the natural theory, the medical origin theory, and the man-made theory. However, as research and investigations have progressed, the natural theory has gained more scientific support.
Scientific Understanding of HIV Origins
Researchers believe that HIV-1, the primary virus responsible for AIDS, originated from African chimpanzees, while HIV-2 is linked to African sooty mangabey monkeys. Further investigation suggests that the HIV-1 virus, particularly its M group, most likely originated in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The earliest known HIV infections are estimated to have occurred in the early 20th century.
The Spread of HIV: From Africa to the Americas
Due to historical factors such as wars, slave trade, and the rise of blood transfusions and sexual transactions in Africa during the 20th century, the conditions became ripe for the nurturing and spread of the virus. Consequently, HIV crossed mountains and seas, traveling from the Congo River basin to the United States, marking the beginning of the modern history of AIDS.
The Emergence of AIDS
In the late summer of 1981, eight men in New York City were diagnosed with severe cases of Kaposi’s sarcoma and Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. These individuals exhibited purple, burningly painful lesions on their skin and suffered from persistent shortness of breath, chest tightness, and a dry cough.
The Early Response to AIDS
Soon, more cases emerged across the United States, with a notable commonality: all affected individuals were gay men. In response, the medical community, grappling with fear and uncertainty, initially labeled the condition "Gay-Related Immune Deficiency" (GRID). The general public referred to it as "gay cancer."
The First Major Breakthrough in AIDS
In 1982, as the medical community struggled to understand this mysterious illness, a courageous and young patient named Gaetan Dugas stepped forward. He openly revealed his hidden secret, becoming one of the first to bring attention to the personal impact of the disease.
Gaëtan Dugas: From Pioneer to Scapegoat
At 20 years old, Gaëtan Dugas was an attractive flight attendant with a history of frequent sexual contacts. After contracting the illness, he cooperated fully with treatment and sincerely provided a list of his 72 sexual partners. This list became a crucial tool for researchers, leading to a significant breakthrough in understanding the disease, which was then named Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
Unfortunately, Dugas's good intentions led to personal tragedy. In reports, he was identified as "Patient O" because the letter "O" was similar in appearance to the number "0," leading to the misconception that he was the "Patient Zero" or the source of the AIDS outbreak. He was unfairly labeled as the primary culprit of the epidemic, and sensational media coverage vilified him as the epidemic’s originator.
Under immense public scrutiny and the burden of his illness, Gaëtan Dugas passed away in 1984 at the age of 31. After his death, he became infamous as "Patient Zero," and in the book And the Band Played On, which documents the origins of AIDS in America, he was portrayed as a virus spreader with antisocial behavior.
The Modern Naming of AIDS
In September of the same year, the disease was officially named Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, abbreviated as AIDS. A year later, scientists identified the culprit behind AIDS: the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), commonly referred to as HIV.
The True Origin of AIDS
In recent years, Gaëtan Dugas’s name has finally been cleared of unjust accusations.
The author of And the Band Played On later admitted that, in an effort to boost book sales, he had indeed distorted Dugas’s character, contributing to the wrongful vilification of Dugas as "Patient Zero."
The True Origin of AIDS
In reality, HIV existed long before Gaëtan Dugas's illness came to light. Dugas was merely one of the early identified patients. The widely accepted theory about the origin of AIDS is as follows:
In 1921, deep within the African jungle, a hunter who came into contact with chimpanzee blood was infected with Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV). Over time, SIV mutated into HIV within the human body. The disease gradually spread throughout Africa. During this period, Western countries were engaged in global capitalist expansion and propaganda, which facilitated the transmission of HIV to Europe and America, eventually leading to its spread worldwide.
China's First AIDS Case
In 1985, a foreign tourist who fell ill and was admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing quickly died. It was later confirmed that the cause of death was AIDS. This marked the first documented case of AIDS in China.
