The Human Immune Virus (HIV) started in Cameroon a health researcher has revealed

Nuuman Bhat who says he himself has a compromised immune system wrote on his page that people erroneously believe that HIV began in the 1980s but that the virus had actually been transmitted from monkeys to humans as early as the early 1900s in the forests of southeastern Cameroon.
Bhat began his post by asking, “If HIV is transmitted through sex, how did the very first human get infected? Who gave HIV to the first person if nobody had it before?”
The medical researcher then explained that “For HIV to take hold, the virus had to mutate just right to survive in the human immune system” and that “Scientists believe this happened multiple times but only one specific lineage (HIV-1 Group M) survived and spread”.
Bhat further explains how we know this: “By looking at the genetic mutations of the virus today and calculating the rate of change, we can trace the family tree backwards. The math points to the virus jumping from patients to humans in the early 1900 and 1920 in Southeastern Cameroon”.
He goes on to explain that the early transmission took place when hunters caught and butchered chimpanzees and “During the butchering process, hunters would get cut. Simian blood (chimpanzee blood) would mix with human blood. That’s the crossover event”.
Bhat’s statements are confirmed by Cameroon-born scientist, Prof. Muki Shey, an epidemiologist in South Africa. Shey cited a journal article in CSH Perspectives which states that: “Approximately one century ago in southeastern Cameroon, cross-species transmission of SIVcpz from chimpanzees gave rise to HIV-1 group M, the principal cause of the AIDS pandemic in humans”. SIV stands for simian immune deficiency syndrome, the name of the virus in chimpanzees before it mutates when transmitted to humans.
On July 17, CNA published a report by the W.H.O. which stated that Cameroon was among the countries with the highest HIV-positive populations in the world with more than 500,000 positive cases – a figure that is believed to be higher because not everyone has done their HIV test to know their status.
HIV is now treatable with regular adherence to medication but stigma remains one of the main deterrents preventing people from going for their test or seeking treatment when they test positive.