No evidence of AIDS in 'patients'
Source: Xinhua |
April 8, 2011, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THERE is no evidence the people claiming to have been infected by the so-called "HIV-Negative AIDS" actually have AIDS, according to the Ministry of Health.
There is no clinical, laboratory or epidemiological evidence that these people suffer any infective disease, said Deng Haihua, spokesman of the ministry.
His remarks were made in response to concerns that some people claimed they had been infected by an AIDS-like virus even though test results showed they were HIV negative.
The "patients" said they had displayed symptoms very similar to those associated with AIDS including swollen lymph nodes, subcutaneous bleeding, joint pain, fatigue, night sweats and emaciation.
They termed it "HIV-Negative AIDS," indicating it might be a mutation of the AIDS virus, or a new unknown virus.
Zeng Guang, epidemiology chief scientist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and some other medical experts believe the patients suffer from some kind of AIDS phobia.
Deng said the ministry first received reports about it in June 2009 and the CDC started investigating one month later.
From 2009 to 2010, the CDC had tested 59 "HIV-Negative AIDS" patients and found no evidence they were infected by a new or unknown virus, Deng said.
A total of 42 of the 59 volunteers said they had engaged in unprotected sex before their symptoms appeared. Some also said they previously had contact with people with AIDS, Zeng said.
However, they were tested and found to be HIV negative, and their CD4 cell ratio in blood, an important indicator of the immune system, was at normal levels, Zeng said.
No mutation of the AIDS virus was found in the sample tests, said Liang Lianchun, a member of the CDC special research team investigating the AIDS-like symptoms.
Zeng said the CDC also sent the blood samples to some United States-based laboratories in January. As of the end of March, there was no report of an unknown virus found in the one third of the samples that had been tested.
Ministry spokesman Deng said there was no case of any serious illness or deaths among the patients.
There is no clinical, laboratory or epidemiological evidence that these people suffer any infective disease, said Deng Haihua, spokesman of the ministry.
His remarks were made in response to concerns that some people claimed they had been infected by an AIDS-like virus even though test results showed they were HIV negative.
The "patients" said they had displayed symptoms very similar to those associated with AIDS including swollen lymph nodes, subcutaneous bleeding, joint pain, fatigue, night sweats and emaciation.
They termed it "HIV-Negative AIDS," indicating it might be a mutation of the AIDS virus, or a new unknown virus.
Zeng Guang, epidemiology chief scientist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and some other medical experts believe the patients suffer from some kind of AIDS phobia.
Deng said the ministry first received reports about it in June 2009 and the CDC started investigating one month later.
From 2009 to 2010, the CDC had tested 59 "HIV-Negative AIDS" patients and found no evidence they were infected by a new or unknown virus, Deng said.
A total of 42 of the 59 volunteers said they had engaged in unprotected sex before their symptoms appeared. Some also said they previously had contact with people with AIDS, Zeng said.
However, they were tested and found to be HIV negative, and their CD4 cell ratio in blood, an important indicator of the immune system, was at normal levels, Zeng said.
No mutation of the AIDS virus was found in the sample tests, said Liang Lianchun, a member of the CDC special research team investigating the AIDS-like symptoms.
Zeng said the CDC also sent the blood samples to some United States-based laboratories in January. As of the end of March, there was no report of an unknown virus found in the one third of the samples that had been tested.
Ministry spokesman Deng said there was no case of any serious illness or deaths among the patients.
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