AIDS: the alien plague?

On this thread, Writer/member Jeremiah25 wrote

Of course, the easiest way to remove Humanity from the face of the Earth would be with a virus, perhaps one keyed to our genetic makeup. This scenario becomes especially terrifying when we realise that such an attack would probably not even be viewed as such. A virus could be seeded by a cloaked alien ship, or could be hidden within a meteor which, after disintegrating in the Earth’s atmosphere, would disperse the virus throughout the Earth’s atmosphere. When significant numbers of Humans began dying of a previously unknown virus, it is likely that a majority of the Earth’s population would regard the act as an act of terrorism or as a terrible accident. It would not be out of the realm of possibility that the blame would be placed on our own institutions of defence and governance, rather than the more abstract possibility of an alien invader.

...to which I replied

How about a virus transmitted by exchange of bodily fluids, so that it would spread rapidly through sexual contact and deter reproductive activity at the same time? One that mutated so rapidly that neither the human immune system nor the best human scientists could mount a defence against it?

There is no shortage of theories regarding the origins of AIDS, but I don't recall that anyone has suggested, to date, that it might have been deliberately introduced by extraterrestrials as a means of depopulating the earth, or at least soften humanity up for a coming invasion. Yet there are a number of circumstances that support the possibility, among the the following:

- The provenance of HIV is uncertain, though much research into the subject has been done.
- The spread of the epidemic from its presumed origin in Africa has never been convincingly traced.
- The virus seems to have been 'intelligently designed' to baffle and overcome, not just the body's natural defenses, but the best efforts of medical scientists to produce a vaccine or cure.

What do you think?

Not a bad theory. I can imagine it's quite plausible.

But...
1. Why would they want to invade us? What would they have to gain? Our planet?

2. Isn't it a bit of a slow process? If they infected us with AIDS to "depopulate" us, why do it over a period of several decades? Wouldn't something like SARS, the Ebola Virus, etc. (the bird-flu maybe?) be more effective? An infection that causes death within days not months or years? And why not choose something that is airborne or easily "transferable"? You basically have a direct choice whether you will be infected with the HIV/AIDS virus or not. If you look at it from this point, then AIDS is not a very effective method they are using...?

Perhaps the slow working process of the AIDS virus allows time for pre-invasion preperation and logistics?

I doubt AIDS is part of a takeover plot for ET's.. I never supported the idea that Earth was in any danger of alien invasion. Think about it, if they wanted to invade they would have done it a long time ago, it would have been an easier task to undertake instead of waiting around until our population grew to over 6 billion. Not to mention that as every year goes by our weapon and defensive technology grows.

But that's just my opinion, who knows, maybe they just like a good challenge.

AIDS is earthly although in my opinion the most perfect virus for killing humans. See it works because it has a layer of sugar the same types your body produces anyway around the virus. Now since you body cannot reckognize it as a threat it begins to attack the white blood cells invadinding them and causing them to explode releasing more of the virus. You repeat this cycle and you can see why people with full blown AIDS do not live very long. I don't think it's alien but I do consider the possibility because it is so unique and so adapted for the human body that it could possibly be engineered.

it is the perfect virus, but in my opinion cancer is from aliens.
I think our own government created HIV. I think they were trying to create an organisum that could take a host and then multiply within it.

Ok aids does sound kinda Alien now.... i dont know much about it but is there any other pathogen like it on the planet?

Originally posted by The_Doctor
could possibly be engineered.

Of course it was engineered by humans, let me guess it was those apes again . Does it not sound strange that apes and africains have lived in unison for 10000's of years YET AIDS only in the does 80's it becomes a pandemic ?

Taken from Wiki:

Three of the earliest known instances of HIV infection are as follows:
A plasma sample taken in 1959 from an adult male living in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.[96]
HIV found in tissue samples from an American teenager who died in St. Louis in 1969.
HIV found in tissue samples from a Norwegian sailor who died around 1976.

en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by gnosis
Perhaps the slow working process of the AIDS virus allows time for pre-invasion preperation and logistics?

Hmmm... Maybe, but that would be a "Shoot first, ask questions later" scenario. Infect a planet with a virus, and then strategize? Not the best strategy...

I have a respnse to the question posed, "Why let it take several decades why not use something more virulent like Sars or Ebola?"

believe it or not....one of the worst things about Aids is that for the most part Humans haven't developed ANY natural immunity to it...I.E if suddenly we were all exposed to aids....there would be no or staggeringly smaller numbers of survivors. History has shown that the more virulent and deadly a virus the more likely humanity is to survive. Look at the common cold...not very severe....but damn adaptable.been around for a LONG time.....Humans eventually adapted to it and it has adapted back....Spanish Flu 1918 burns through the entire world...Kills offf millions...then its gone...people survive live on, virus dies off. The common cold has done nothing but get stronger and stronger showing that a disease is much better suited to wiping out an entire population if its not like Ebola or Sars or Spanish flu....for whatever reason if its really really strong....there will be humans with natural immunities, and while there are people who are naturally immune to aids not to the degree nessecary to ensure survival of the species if there was a pandemic or epidemec worldwide.

Aids is just now starting to really mutate from its earlier versions(not to say that there werent individual mutations but nothing like some of the new "super" strains(srry to use the word super so unscientific))

I think that this is a PLAUSIBLE explination...but based on the fact that AIDS is far more rampant amoung the Afican Community(Not because they are more promiscuous, which they aren't) and that it can and does selectively target African I am inclinened to believe that AIDS was created by the United States Government. HIV is a naturally occuring virus amoung chimps and monkeys in Africa and ibelieve this is where it was orginally found by British scientists and then passed on to thier cousins across the pond where it was finally turned into the HIV we know today which causes Auto Immune Deficiancy Syndrome or Aids.

But thats is just my personal opionion....The alien theory is plausible and because of AIDS long incubation period and near fatal results it makes a great weapon.

Also in counter again to the prescribed question, If aliens did come and plant that virus they are not gonig to be like Americans and the rest of Westernized society I.E Immidiate Gratification....They;ve travled BILLLIONS of miles and spent prolly just as long figuring out exactly how to do that....They've got patience....a few decades even a century to a race that can Traverse the stars at will, shield themselves from Radar, sonar, etc....or....Harnass a COMET or ASTEROID and plot the trajectory just so that it hits our realtivly small lil rock we call Earth. Either way theyve got patience.

The only thing that I see as a hole in this argument is that if HIV as we know it is being used by an extraterrestrial force to exterminate Humans...why isnt it more wide spread...and....why are thier contraceptives for it....I.E why do condoms work most of the time(AIds can in some cases fit through small micro tears in condoms that are barely over an atom in diameter very small bugs)...IF....they created AIDS you have to assume that they KNOW we are sexual creatures seeing as that is the primary means by which it is spread, quite insidious no, if they knew this why would they not engineer it to be able to pass through solid membranes....I could accept the argument that this was the best thier virologists could come up with but....it makes a better point against in this debate.

This could also be a method by which to cull a very select genome...one that was perchance lost to our species and is now thinly spread thoughout our entire population globally. Perhaps a more docile or perhaps a more aggressive argumens could be made for both. ALso...it could be a simply a thinning of the herd if you will so that the rest who survive can be used for any number of purposes.(not pertinet to discussion).

Great post

El senor pom pom the master of your disaster


[edit on 14-6-2006 by Elsenorpompom]

[edit on 14-6-2006 by Elsenorpompom]

Originally posted by Gemwolf
Wouldn't something like SARS, the Ebola Virus, etc. (the bird-flu maybe?) be more effective? An infection that causes death within days not months or years? And why not choose something that is airborne or easily "transferable"? You basically have a direct choice whether you will be infected with the HIV/AIDS virus or not.

Why give themselves the hassle of cleaning up the mess we leave behind? With something like AIDS, we'd end up doing most of the janitorial work for them. The dead would bury the dead, so to speak.

As for having a choice, don't forget it prevents humans from reproducing naturally.

Originally posted by Astyanax
Why give themselves the hassle of cleaning up the mess we leave behind? With something like AIDS, we'd end up doing most of the janitorial work for them. The dead would bury the dead, so to speak.

As for having a choice, don't forget it prevents humans from reproducing naturally.

Well, I don't know. If we were all to die right now, it would be pretty messy, but then they would only have to wait a year (or two?) at most and everything will have decayed, no mess, no fuss. Now if you weigh 2 years (let's push it to 5 for fun) it's still nothing compared to waiting for several decades. And as more people will be killed by AIDS, gradually there will be a point where the remaining humans can no longer bury all the dead people an there will still be some sort of mess?

Maybe it is a good method of population control as you say. It prevents humans from reproducing naturally. (Well the intelligent ones anyway. )

Originally posted by Elsenorpompom
History has shown that the more virulent and deadly a virus the more likely humanity is to survive. Look at the common cold...not very severe....but damn adaptable.been around for a LONG time.....Humans eventually adapted to it and it has adapted back....Spanish Flu 1918 burns through the entire world...Kills offf millions...then its gone...people survive live on, virus dies off.

True. But if we're talking highly intelligent war strategy, then a 3-day virus would be more successful yes? (A 6-hour virus would be much more efficient...) Usually with outbreaks of say Ebola, the virus is quickly recognized and the patient isolated. With the outbreak of SARS it took them a couple of days to find the source and isolate the problem.

But let's use a virus like the one we see in 28 Days Later that strikes within seconds... There's just no time to isolate or retaliate an infection. Now infect a few strategic places on the planet... Instant wipeout.

Originally posted by Astyanax
What do you think?

I think that HIV/AIDS has a high profile and makes a perfect candudate for such a theory. However I dont think its that big a deal. For instance babies are still being born from HIV/AIDS women and surviving (with or without meds), so the population thing is off. In fact, Im reminded of this article from the BBC news site.

Aids virus 'could be weakening'

A team at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, in Antwerp, compared HIV-1 samples from 1986-89 and 2002-03.

They found the newer samples appeared not to multiply as well, and were more sensitive to drugs - some other studies argue they are becoming more resistant.

"What appears to be happening is that by the time HIV passes from one person to another, it has already toned down some of its most pathogenic effects in response to its host's immune system," he said.

"So the virus that is passed on is less 'fit' each time.

"This would suggest that over several generations, HIV could become less harmful to its human hosts.

Sounds like it could just peter out and being HIV+ will be inconsequential.

If there is ET and they have scary plans for us via the virus route, then I reckon we are carrying it now not having a clue, waiting for activation

An interesting theory -- im not sure i buy it, but interesting none the less.


AIDS is not a virus itself, but a title given to HIV Positive patients, when they also present at least one of around 28 other illnesses, that are not new to mankind from Yeast Infections, phuenomina (spelling), and a few cancers. So I personally question weather AIDS really exists at all.

The CDC has on at least 2 occasions, changed the 'definition' of AIDS to include more illnesses -- it used to be only around 22 illnesses, that when present in HIV Positive patients would give an AIDS Diogonises. Every time they have changed the 'definition' of aids, Aids rates throghout the world have severly increased.

When the CDC in 1993 I think it was, extended the definition of AIDS to include anyone with a T-Cell Count lower than 200, the number of AIDS cases around the world doubled overnight.

Now, HIV itself is a retrovirus -- which is very different from a regular virus. There is much debate over the fact that it has never been proven how the HIV Virus can infect enough host cells, when retrovirsues have never been seen to infect more than 1 in 1000 host cells, and 1 in 3 host cells is needed to be infected for the Virus to take control. In most cases retrovirsues do not infect more than 1 in 10,000 host cells.

That said, I've been looking for a while now, and still cannot find or name ONE OTHER RETROVIRUS that is considered harmfull to Humans, apart from HIV. Alot of retroviruses are vital for human life, at least 3 for instance, are required for Pregnency and the typical human contains more than 50 retorivuses.

If you know of another retrovirus that is harmfull to humans - please let me know!

But as HIV is a retrovirus, it does seem like something aliens could or, would come up with

I can understand why someone might think that but I don't believe that myself. Reason being, if AIDS was engineered, why wouldn't they (whoever engineered it) of made it airborne? If AIDS suddenly muatated and became airborn we would have a serious problem on our hands. Right now I don't think AIDS is the most serious of diseases we have, there are more complex ones out there. Also you gotta realise that AIDS is not the only disease that turns our body against ourselves. There are a lot that do this, those diseases can be clever unfortunatly.

"I can understand why someone might think that but I don't believe that myself. Reason being, if AIDS was engineered, why wouldn't they (whoever engineered it) of made it airborne?"

If it was engineered it was made to attack specific populations. for example gay men have the highest rate of transmission. The disease was only introduced into the regular population by unsafe blood transfusions etc.

India has a higher AIDS rate then Africa does also prooving that the disease was not made to effect the black community alone so it's not race specific. If you look at cases of transmission in North america you begin to see that gay men spread it the most. Yet among'st the lesbian community literally no cases I have ever heard of. This could lead some to beleive that the disease was intended to ravage the gay community yet at the same time managed to spread the disease out side that specific group through other methods.

"I don't think AIDS is the most serious of diseases we have, there are more complex ones out there."

It is definatly not the most serious of viruses however it has been specifically adapted to human physiology. It's coated with a layer of sugar as i said that hides it from your immune system as in terms of complexity it is an advanced virus adapted specifically for fluid to fluid transmission.
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"AIDS is not a virus itself, but a title given to HIV Positive patients, when they also present at least one of around 28 other illnesses, that are not new to mankind from Yeast Infections, phuenomina (spelling), and a few cancers. So I personally question weather AIDS really exists at all."

AIDS (Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome) is caused by the HIV virus (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). What it does is attacks the immune system thus intern makes it easier for you to get sick. Many HIV/AIDS patients die from contracting pnuemonia for example. In regards to cancers I would say it is a plausability since cervical cancer is caused by a virus contracted through sexual intercourse. However there is no a vaccine for it.

Here is dangerous retroviruses T-cell leukemia Virus and SIV's for example and not only humans are suseptable to retroactive viri either... feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) -cats, caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) -goats, equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) -horses, Maedi/visna virus (MVV) -sheep

I've often thought if virusus could be introduced by aliens. After all we have only recently become aware of the mechanisms of virus transmission.
Assuming AIDS was not made by humans (which I think it was).
If it was introduced by aliens then maybe its not meant to kill us in preparation for an invasion, but rather it is a way of culling us to keep our population in check?

How would it infect priests? Or nuns? Or any celibate. AIDS is a disease which can be avoided and is actively being bred out of our life as time goes on. People with AIDS do not have a transference of fluids which means no children, which means that those who are afflicted with this terrible disease will eventually become the last sufferers and AIDS will be relatively controlled.

AIDS is a "voluntaristic" disease. If i wanted AIDS I would have sex with someone who is afflicted, if I don't want it (which I don't) I won't. It seems to me that aliens would have created a more violent virus or a better means of infection.
Why didn't they just pee in our water supply?

Originally posted by JackofBlades
How would it infect priests? Or nuns? Or any celibate. AIDS is a disease which can be avoided and is actively being bred out of our life as time goes on.

Individuals can avoid AIDS by not reproducing, or they can reproduce and risk death. As far as the species is concerned the outcome is more or less the same.

Why didn't they just pee in our water supply

Perhaps they're looking for something a little bit more targeted than that.

Originally posted by Astyanax
Individuals can avoid AIDS by not reproducing, or they can reproduce and risk death. As far as the species is concerned the outcome is more or less the same.

Not neccessarily. I don't know anyone with AIDs so I could reproduce with them. Our children would find others without AIDs and reproduce with them. AIDs sufferers will not be chosen to bear children and so if people with AIDs didn't want to reproduce they would eventually take it with them when they become extinct.

Diseases that are spread via sexual contact are usually easily, maintained however AIDs has become such a pandemic that it is difficult to control.

Also the amount and quality of protection is increasing which means I could have sex with an AIDs sufferer and still not contract it. Gene therapy, which can remove genetic disorders from foetus', could also be used to help in the event a child is concieved.

Originally posted by The_Doctor
If it was engineered it was made to attack specific populations. for example gay men have the highest rate of transmission. The disease was only introduced into the regular population by unsafe blood transfusions etc.

Bisexuals - Drug Addicts - Rape Victims, all could have taken it from the gay community into the "regular" population.