People generally started understanding the words “virus” and “strain” much better after the Covid19 pandemic began? We have learnt through the emergence of new corona virus variants, viruses are always evolving.
An estimated 38 million people are living with HIV worldwide, about 1.2 million of whom are in the United States, according to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS and the CDC. There are approximately 1.5 million HIV transmissions globally each year, including about 37,000 new U.S. cases.
An international research team has identified a highly virulent and infectious strain of HIV that has infected more than 100 people.
More on the strain
A new super-mutant HIV strain that makes infected individuals ill twice as fast as current versions of the virus has been detected in the Netherlands. The earliest evidence of this strain (also known as the VB variant) was in an individual diagnosed with HIV in 1992. It would then spread silently in the Netherlands for decades and signs suggest this strain might not have spread much outside the Netherlands.
The strain damages the immune system and weakens a person’s ability to fight everyday infections and disease faster than previous versions of the virus. It means those who catch this strain could develop AIDS more quickly.
Left untreated, this viral strain leads to a much higher level of virus in the blood and a doubled rate of decline in key immune cells compared with the typical HIV disease progression. The highly virulent HIV strain would likely develop AIDS within just two to three years of diagnosis
The research team, led by scientists at the University of Oxford with key contributions from Stichting HIV Monitoring in Amsterdam, has stressed that these findings are not cause for alarm. This particular HIV strain responds well to antiretroviral treatment, which has the added benefit of blocking transmission.
While the strain could still be transmitting to new people, once someone with the strain starts treatment, it is not associated with an increased risk of illness or death. After starting treatment, those with the variant have a similar immune system recovery and survival rate to those infected with other HIV strains. Researchers warned the rapid health decline after catching VB means early detection and treatment is ‘critical’.
According to a national HIV survey (ZIPHIA) in 2020, the rate of annual new HIV infections among adults in Zimbabwe is 0.38 percent (0.54 percent among women and 0.20 percent among men) or approximately 31,000 persons over a year.
The prevalence of HIV among adults was 12.9 percent, which corresponds to approximately 1.23 million adults in Zimbabwe living with HIV in 2020. Generally, the survey found that HIV prevalence was higher among women than men (15.3 percent vs. 10.2 percent).
With such news and information at hand, it is encouraged that people get tested at least once a year to know your status and get early treatment should the need arise.
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