A new and more aggressive strain of HIV discovered in West Africa causes significantly faster progression to AIDS, researchers at Sweden’s Lund University have found.
The strain, called A3/02 was discovered in 2011 and is part of ongoing HIV/AIDS research. So far, it has only been identified in the West African country of Guinea-Bissau and forms when two of the most common strains in the region fuse together.
“Individuals who are infected with the new recombinant form develop AIDS within five years,” Angelica Palm, one of the scientists involved in the study, said on Thursday. “That’s about two to two-and-a-half years faster than one of the parent (strains).
There are two main types of the HIV virus: HIV-1 and HIV-2 with HIV-1 being the most common.
But within those two categories, there are numerous subtypes.
The HIV virus can even mutate inside an infected person, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
But the scientists reassured patients that existing drugs will still effectively treat the new strain regardless of the speed at which it develops into AIDS.
“The good news is that as far as we know the medicines that are available today are equally functional on all different subtypes of variants,” Palm said.
Other strains
A person goes from having HIV to AIDS when his or her white CD4 cell count, a white bloodcell that helps fight infection, drops below 200, according to the Mayo Clinic.
An estimated 35.5 million people around the world live with HIV, a virus that destroys the immune system and often leads to complications like pneumonia, tuberculosis,diarrhoea and tumours, according to the WHO.
But while the study only found the new strain in West Africa, scientists warn that other rapidly developing strains probably exist in regions like Europe and the US, where there are high levels of immigration.
“It is highly likely that there are a large number of circulating recombinants of which we know little or nothing,” Patrik Medstrand, professor of clinical virology at Lund University, said.
Source: Al Jazeera and Agencies
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From my little knowledge about origin of ekeshi, the american chaps hav set-up a lab and sweden and nw manufactured another deadly strain and went to try it in Guinea Bissau, now they are happy it’s working so tht th ‘BLACK MAN EXTINCTION PLAN’ can be achieved ASAP. The whole story is complex……thts the americans 4u.
If you are still doubting that the HIV virus is man made, please read about ROBERT GALLO. You can open his page by entering his name and search his history and biography on Wikipedia or any other site. He is one of the scientists who made the HIV virus.
There we are again. Another HIV virus has been manufactured by world powers aimed at depopulating the world.
Could be something in what you say.
We are Not changing our evil ways. As a result of experimenting with animals, on the bums and other unheard of sexual activities. This is the result.
dont be naive. HIV doesnt cause AIDS. the first thing scientists should do is find a proper test for HIV not the conventional method which condemns millions of people to their deaths even when they dont have HIV. they start taking these drugs to fight a disease which they dont have which makes their health deteriorate and die from immuno deficiency diseases. scientists and doctors are the biggests killers in this whole HIV/AIDS hoax. Tabo mbeki of south africa talked about this issue but like the few men born ahead of their time,few or no one wants to listen.
I didnt know there people who still live in an unreal world.Connsider our area out of 25 houses over 23 years 20 adult males have died before ARVs! only 2 of us are alive !!The others have died from an imaginary desease created by doctors by your reasoning???
Aids is real and has only been slowed down by ARVS