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In fact, a similar situation is well known to exist with a virus called Marburg virus which has been transmitted
from monkeys to humans and caused fatalities in the past through monkey bites. Luckily, however, this
Marburg virus is not transmitted onwards from human to human and, therefore, an epidemic similar to
the HIV virus could not occur. Mutations that allowed HIV to grow in the human body obviously permitted
the HIV to be transmitted through close contact in the ways that have been adequately described. Its
dissemination was also further spread by other factors prevailing in this century, ie increased world travel,
the use of human products like blood transfusions, and cryoprecipitate for hemophiliacs, etc.
Other viruses have also managed to jump on the bandwagon of coincidence generated by advances in
medicine. Perhaps an example of this would be numerous outbreaks of Hepatitis C that have occurred
after simple injections of immunoglobulin to prevent rhesus antibody formation in rhesus negative women
who had just delivered a baby. An unfortunate outbreak has been described in detail which occurred in
Dublin in the 70's, where several hundred women are now suffering from chronic Hepatitis B liver disease
after having been injected with anti-rhesus that contained significant amounts of Hepatitis C virus.
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