Scientist calms fears over "Asian HIV virus"
Source: Xinhua |
September 5, 2012, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A CHINESE epidemiologist yesterday dismissed public concerns over a latest immunodeficiency disease, after media reports likened it to AIDS.
Scientists from the United States, Taiwan and Thailand said neutralizing anti-interferon autoantibodies were found in Asian adults with multiple opportunistic infections and were associated with an adult-onset immunodeficiency akin to that of advanced HIV infection.
The findings, which were published in the August 23 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, prompted some Chinese media to compare the immunodeficiency to AIDS symptoms and address it as "new type of immunodeficiency in Asian adults."
Zeng Guang, chief epidemiologist with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said there was no need to panic as the adult-onset immunodeficiency was neither infectious nor inheritable, qualities that would distinguish it from AIDS.
No evidence could show that such immunodeficiency exists only in Asia, because the study had so far only involved patients from Thailand and Taiwan and researchers had not officially claimed it was a new disease, Zeng said.
Soon after the circulation of the research findings, some reports also linked the patients in the study to the so-called "HIV-Negative AIDS" group, referring to people who said they had displayed symptoms similar to AIDS but who tested as HIV negative.
China's Health Ministry first received reports of "HIV-Negative AIDS" in June 2009. Tests found the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a common virus family, in 55 percent of the patients. But no evidence showed EBV as the cause of the symptoms.
The ministry said in May 2011 that no new or unknown viruses had been found among the self-proclaimed "HIV-Negative AIDS" group, and the cause of their AIDS-like symptoms had yet to be determined.
Most of the so-called "HIV-Negative AIDS" patients, who have symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes, subcutaneous bleeding, joint pain, fatigue, night sweating and loss of weight, were later found to suffer from psychological AIDS phobia or other mental stress, according to Zeng.
Scientists from the United States, Taiwan and Thailand said neutralizing anti-interferon autoantibodies were found in Asian adults with multiple opportunistic infections and were associated with an adult-onset immunodeficiency akin to that of advanced HIV infection.
The findings, which were published in the August 23 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, prompted some Chinese media to compare the immunodeficiency to AIDS symptoms and address it as "new type of immunodeficiency in Asian adults."
Zeng Guang, chief epidemiologist with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said there was no need to panic as the adult-onset immunodeficiency was neither infectious nor inheritable, qualities that would distinguish it from AIDS.
No evidence could show that such immunodeficiency exists only in Asia, because the study had so far only involved patients from Thailand and Taiwan and researchers had not officially claimed it was a new disease, Zeng said.
Soon after the circulation of the research findings, some reports also linked the patients in the study to the so-called "HIV-Negative AIDS" group, referring to people who said they had displayed symptoms similar to AIDS but who tested as HIV negative.
China's Health Ministry first received reports of "HIV-Negative AIDS" in June 2009. Tests found the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a common virus family, in 55 percent of the patients. But no evidence showed EBV as the cause of the symptoms.
The ministry said in May 2011 that no new or unknown viruses had been found among the self-proclaimed "HIV-Negative AIDS" group, and the cause of their AIDS-like symptoms had yet to be determined.
Most of the so-called "HIV-Negative AIDS" patients, who have symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes, subcutaneous bleeding, joint pain, fatigue, night sweating and loss of weight, were later found to suffer from psychological AIDS phobia or other mental stress, according to Zeng.
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