22. The HIV/ AIDS pandemic
How the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) mutated and evolved from the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) is debated among scientists and researchers. Numerous theories have evolved, none proven, and many controversial. It is generally accepted that HIV evolved from a strain developed in what was at the time the Belgian Congo in the early 20th century. The global pandemic which evolved from it is surrounded by myths, including the identities of its earliest victims. For many years David Carr, a printer from Manchester, England, was considered one of its earliest victims, dying of complications of AIDS in 1959. Recent research indicated he was not.
HIV/AIDS is a global pandemic with profound societal influences. It is a subject of debate over morality, social responsibility, religious implications, sexual orientation, drug use, and the government’s responsibilities in combatting the disease. The deaths of many notable celebrities, including film star Rock Hudson, singer and musician Freddie Mercury, tennis player Arthur Ashe, and many, many more have kept the pandemic at the forefront of public attention. There are also many urban myths regarding HIV, including one which claims the US government developed it as a biological weapon. Another claims that HIV does not cause AIDS, a pseudoscience widely promoted on the internet. To date, approximately 30 million have died as a result of contracting HIV/AIDS.