One of the largest misunderstandings concerning HIV/AIDS is the difference between the two diagnoses. HIV is the predecessor to an AIDS diagnosis, although they are the same virus.
What is HIV?
HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Syndrome, is a virus that attacks the immune system. Unlike with most virus, the human body cannot clear the HIV infection. A diagnosis of HIV depends upon the presence of HIV antibodies within a person.
What is AIDS?
AIDS, or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, is the final stage of an HIV infection. A diagnosis of AIDs requires that an HIV positive individual have one or more opportunistic infections, certain types of cancer (Karposi’s Sarcoma) or a very low CD4 count.
At the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic the biggest question was “Where does HIV/AIDS come from?”
Rumors of where HIV/AIDS originated from were extremely popular throughout the 1980s when the epidemic seemed to be spreading uncontrollably. Two of the largest rumors were that HIV/AIDS was transmitted through the polio vaccine or that HIV/AIDS came from a “Patient Zero” who originally contracted the virus and then it cascaded to all infected people.
The rumor that the Polio Vaccine infected people with HIV/AIDS was secondary to the fact that the Polio Vaccine was culture in the laboratory using kidneys of chimpanzees, the animal originally infected with SIV, the believed predecessor to HIV. This was obviously untrue though, as any laboratory equipment, including animal flesh, was thoroughly checked for contamination prior to use.
The rumor of Patient Zero was extremely popular among pop culture in the 1980s. Who was Patient Zero? The truth is that there never was a Patient Zero, which was proven as more different strains of HIV/AIDs were discovered. The theory of Patient Zero was introduced by Dr. William Darrow of the CDC but was then adapted by Randy Shilts, a journalist. Shilts used Dr. Darrow’s data to pin the epidemic of HIV/AIDS onto Gaetan Dugas, a homosexual Canadian flight attendant who had sexual connections to many of the first several infected patients. Although Gaetan Dugas did eventually die of complications secondary to AIDS, it was only after Dr. Darrow admitted that his data was flawed and that Shilts had misused the data.
The truth about where HIV/AIDS came from was much simpler than the tabloids made it out to be though. It is currently accepted that HIV/AIDs was transferred to humans as a mutation of the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) that is common among chimpanzees. This would make HIV/AIDS a zoonotic lentivirus, meaning that it is transferred from animals to humans and is a slowly acting virus within the human body. SIV is believed to be around 32,000 years old. This theory is based on the fact that humans commonly consumed chimpanzees around the time of the transfer, meaning that when humans hunted, killed and ate chimpanzees they came into direct contact with the contaminated bodily fluids.
HIV FACTS
- There are two types of HIV:
- Type 1: this is the most virulent, pandemic for of HIV. Has four subgroups of its own: Group M, N, O and P
- Type 2: less easily transmitted and longer latency period prior to infection
- It is now believed to be possible for infected persons to become “superinfected” by more than one strain of HIV. Previously it was thought that if a person had one strain of the virus that they could not be infected by another – current research shows that if an infected person is re-infected within four months of the initial infection that they could be plagued by both strains of the virus.
- HIV can affect multiple cell types, but it mainly targets CD4 lymphocytes
- CD4 Lymphocytes are commonly referred to as CD4 cells or T-Cells
- CD4 levels are monitored during treatment, when the CD4 levels dip below 200 the patient is then a candidate to be diagnosed with AIDS. Normal ranges for CD4 cells in a person not infected with HIV/AIDS range from 500-1200 per unit.
- Risk Factors include:
- Anal and vaginal intercourse
- Having another sexually transmitted infection
- Sharing contaminated needles or having an accidental needle stick
- Receiving unsafe injections
- Vaginal childbirth and breast feeding for vertical transmission
- Colloquially referred to as the 4-H Club:
- Covered all main groups believed to be infected or spreading HIV during the 1980s: Haitians, homosexuals, hemophiliacs and heroin users. In some social setting hemophiliacs was replaced by “Hookers” to reference that HIV/AIDs was often seen more frequently in sexually promiscuous populations.
Link to Timeline of HIV in America from 1980-2000
Beginning in the 1980’s HIV/AIDs has had an increasing position in popular culture. Many notable icons have been involved in the discussion about HIV/AIDs, whether as patients themselves or uninfected people encouraging other to prevent themselves from becoming infected. Some notable popular culture references are:
- October 3, 1985; Rock Hudson dies of AIDS, making him the first public figure known to have died of the disease
- 1987: AIDS Memorial Quilt unveiled; Princess Diana shakes bare hands with an AIDS patient; publication of Patient Zero
- 1990: Ryan White, one of three hemophiliac brothers positive for HIV/AIDS after blood transfusions, dies after being a well-covered media story during his fight against the disease and fight to remain enrolled in public school despite his diagnosis.
- 1991: Magic Johnson retires from the NBA secondary to testing positive for HIV; Freddie Mercury announces his AIDS status and dies
- March 1994: Tom Hanks wins an Oscar for playing a homosexual man with AIDS in the film Philadelphia; Pedro Zamora, a cast member from the Real World, dies of AIDS
- 2000: Jesse Jackson takes an oral HIV test on live television to encourage testing
The spread of HIV/AIDs from its initial introduction into the United States in the 1970s until 2000 was very fast. This can be seen in the heat map representing cases from 1993, when the first reliable data about case numbers were being gathered through 2000.
Resources: http://www.avert.org/hiv.htm; http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/; https://www.aids.gov/; http://www.who.int/topics/hiv_aids/en/