AIDS study indicates that it arrived in USA in 1969

Aids study shows it arrived in US in 1960s - Telegraph

This is a very interesting reporting regarding the transmission of the AIDS virus from Africa and the sub Sahara regions to the USA. Initially, a Canadian airline steward was credited with the spread of HIV in the USA, however, the team of researchers from the University of Edinburgh, basing their claims on genetic analysis have shown that the probable route from Africa is through Haiti.

The team, which includes Andrew Rambaut at the
University of Edinburgh, based on the conclusion on genetic analyses.
The team analysed blood from five of the first Aids patients identified
in the US, all of whom were recent immigrants from Haiti. The team also
analysed genetic sequences from another 117 AIDS patients from around
the world.

The team used statistical methods to
investigate all the family trees that were consistent with the genetic
data. For the hypothesis that, from Africa, HIV went to the US first,
the probability is 0.003 percent -- virtually nil. For the hypothesis
that HIV went from Africa first to Haiti in around 1966 and then on to
the US, the probability is 99.8 percent, almost 100 percent.

The advantage of this study is that by learning more about the genetic make-up of the various strains of HIV could help vaccine development.

Powered by ScribeFire.