Researchers from Oxford University announced that they have found a new strain of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) in the Netherlands. The new strain is highly Virulent in nature. This strain has been lurking in the country for decades but due to the effectiveness of modern treatments, this is not an alarming cause for humans. On Thursday they have published their journal “Science”. That journal shows the data about this newly discovered HIV strain. They have named this VB variant. According to them, this HIV strain is a 3.5-5.5 times higher rate of infection than the other variants. This variant rapidly fades the immunity system of human beings.
VB variant: New HIV Strain
The new HIV strain discovered in the Netherlands has been named the VB variant. The infection rate of this VB rate is around 3.5-5.5 higher than the other variants. However, despite the infection rate of the VB variant, it responds to treatment very similarly to other variants. The patient with the new variant shows similar immune system recovery and survival when they were treated properly. This made them conclude that there is no alarming cause with the new viral variant.
This variant might have arisen in the decades of the 1980s and 1990s but it began to decline around 2010 in the Netherlands. But the best part about this new variant is that widespread treatment of HIV in the Netherlands was not able to contribute to the evolution of the virus and modern medicinal practices seem to work in the VB variant. However, early detection and treatment are still paramount.
Christophe Fraser, a researcher at Oxford and co-author of this research paper said that their finds are emphasize the importance of World Health Organization (WHO) guidance. The individuals at risk of acquiring HIV must have access to regular testing resulting in early diagnosis and timely treatment. This work also supports the concept of the evolution of viruses into more virulent variants than the previous one. To date, a total of 109 people are infected with the VB variant. Out of this four are living outside of the Netherlands but they are still in western Europe.
VB variant requires early diagnosis and treatment
The press statement from Oxford also raised concern and pressed for early diagnosis and treatment noting the rapid decline in the immune system in infected individuals. They said that the VB variant causes a rapid decline in the immunity system, hence it makes the individual more critical if not diagnosed early and treated. This variant limits the time of infection and deteriorates the health conditions of the affected individuals very quickly.