Urban Growth, Transportation Likely Spread HIV In 1920s Kinshasa, Beyond, Study Shows

News outlets report on a new study examining the origins of HIV.

The Guardian: HIV pandemic originated in Kinshasa in the 1920s, say scientists
“A ‘perfect storm’ of urban change that began in 1920s Kinshasa led to the catastrophic spread of HIV across Africa and into the wider world, according to scientists who used genetic sequencing and historical records to trace the origins of the pandemic…” (Sample, 10/2).

National Geographic: Early Spread of AIDS Traced to Congo’s Expanding Transportation Network
“…A new family history of the HIV virus that causes AIDS, reported Thursday, is troubling but instructive: Modernization in mid-20th-century Africa, especially in the city Kinshasa, played a profound role in shaping that global epidemic…” (Keim, 10/2).

Reuters: HIV pandemic’s roots traced back to 1920s Kinshasa
“…[Oliver Pybus, a professor at Oxford University’s zoology department who co-led the research,] and an international team of researchers analyzed HIV-1 group M sequences from a major HIV sequence database and then combining these analyses with spatial and epidemiological data. Their study will be published in the journal Science on Thursday…” (Kelland, 10/2).

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