HIV: A WEAPON OF CRIME AND ITS PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS

AIDS is the most lethal disease affecting mankind in current times. It is the final stage of the infection, caused by HIV. This deadly disease can be transmitted to a healthy individual through body fluids, placenta, tattooing, unprotected sexual intercourse, etc. It can spread accidentally or intentionally. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 34 million people in the world are living with HIV and 1.8 million died of AIDS-related illnesses worldwide in 2010. An increasing number of HIV infected people are being prosecuted for transmitting the virus to their sexual partner(s). As widely reported by sundry media houses, criminal journals, print media and above all in true light of the day there has been a deliberate endeavor or case of recklessness / intentional attempt to transmit virus to non infected Homo sapiens. The three categories of HIV transmission in the context of the law are intentional, reckless, and accidental. Intentional transmission is considered as the most serious form of criminal transmission and some of the individuals concerned have even been imprisoned. Some cases have reported individuals who have used needles or other implements to intentionally infect another individuals with HIV. While some have been established on HIV affirmative individuals who have had sexual relations with the primary intent of transmitting the virus to their partner. This review paper aims to focus on how HIV is being used as a bio-weapon and how transmission of the disease can be linked to the virus employing Phylogenetic Analysis. Thus, Phylogenetic analysis can be utilized as forensic evidence in criminal HIV transmission prosecution.