How HIV First Started in Humans

My mom became a nurse in the late 80s. She was witness to how terrible the disease was but worst of all, how people treated those infected. It almost made her quit nursing altogether. She would call parents to tell them about thier sons rapidly failing condition and they would tell her never to call back or hang up on her. Even family's gave up on them. She tried to be there for them so they wouldn't die alone. They would cry out for parents that didnt care. She held their hands. My moms best friend, they met in nursing school, Bill died of aids in 90 or 91. His loss affected her greatly. She doesn't talk about the early years of her career much, she saw so much, ive asked her to write a book about that time but she cant, for now at least❤

I had a cousin that was HIV+. She died around 2016, but she went on to be the first HIV+ organ donor (to other HIV+ patients ofc). It was a huge comfort while grieving her to know that her death saved other people- not just the ones who directly got her organs, but also all the other HIV+ patients that will be able to receive organs from other HIV+ donors. Some of her organs were also donated to science to help them study HIV.

I lost a very good friend to a brain tumor found exclusively in patients with AIDS I still miss him 25 years later 😭

My cousin passed away from AIDS in 2012. R.I.P., Andy. You're forever missed ❤

RIP to all the millions of people (including my father) who died of HIV/AIDS.

I can't even imagine how terrifying it must have been in those early years. It's scary now, even when we understand what it is and how to avoid it. But back then when people are just dying for no apparent reason

As a 90s kid I think of Ryan white and the struggle he went through to educate people and be seen. He was proof that the virus didn't discriminate.

While at a young age Taking care of my uncle who had aids and watching him just slowly fall apart destroyed me and also taught me a lot about the human condition and how people act towards people who had it

Just think; one day soon you may be able to make a video titled "the fall of HIV".

This was a great look at the HIV/AIDS epidemic origins without stigmatizing the people who have been infected. Thanks SciShow for being objective and using deductive reasoning in educating us about this disease.

I've had a friend for like 10 years who's HIV+ and is doing pretty well. So glad to see continued progress in treating it.

Thank you for educating people about this topic. Rest in peace to all the victims of this disease and love to their families that had to go on without them. My uncle passed at only 23 years old from this in 95. My mom still has a hard time grieving my uncle. I wish I had gotten to know him.

the real heroes of our society are all scientists and biologists . what great work they did on this.

I think I only saw this dude blink 3 times

It's so sad that the ones who are infected with diseases can be treated appallingly and discriminated against. I understand that the people who don't have the illness don't want it and might be scared, but I wish people would understand that it is not the infected faults that they are infected, they were most likely just unlucky. I wish people could be aware enough or be able to look past their fears and see reality for what it is.

Our knowledge of virology has expanded tremendously since HIV was described...we only started understanding viruses in the 1930s...and how they worked in the late 1960s...it was scary for everyone because no one knew how it spread...coughing? Sneezes? Touch? I was a kid in the 70s/80s...🤷‍♂️

Good job, YouTube algorithm for putting this in my recommended during the COVID-19 quarantine.

I met Marty St. Claire this year (the scientist who discovered that the AZT drug could treat HIV) and hearing her speak about the history of the disease was incredible. She was a great speaker and treated the topic with so much empathy when talking about the effects on the LGBT+ community. She was able to break down specific events during the AIDS crisis people generally don't hear about and give us a small glimpse of what it was like to live during it as an epidemiologist and microbiologist. If anyone wants to know more, I highly recommend looking up one of her talks or going to a conference to see her in person. I wish she was more famous.

I lost my uncle in 1984, still miss him.

There was just one thing this excellent video didn’t mention about HIV… That those of us who are on treatments such as Triumeq or Rezolsta have such low viral loads as to live almost normal lives, uninfectious unless something stupid is done. It is no longer the death sentence it once was (where medical care is available).