Studies show that while the new variant is highly virulent and transmissible, it is responsive to ARV therapy. The discovery has given researchers valuable insight into how viruses can evolve.
A NEW HIV variant has been discovered in the Netherlands.
Studies show that while the new variant is highly virulent and transmissible, it is responsive to ARV therapy.
Financial Times reports that those infected with the VB variant have an average viral load that is about four times higher than is usual for HIV infection, and their immune system declines twice as fast, placing them at risk of developing Aids more quickly.
According to the Science journal, the variant was not a threat to public health as ARV therapy used to treat those infected worked effectively.
According to SciTechDaily, individuals with the VB variant had a viral load (the level of the virus in the blood) between 3.5 and 5.5 times higher.
“In addition, the rate of CD4 cell decline (the hallmark of immune system damage by HIV) occurred twice as fast in individuals with the VB variant, placing them at risk of developing Aids much more rapidly. Individuals with the VB variant also showed an increased risk of transmitting the virus to others,” SciTechDaily reported.
It added that researchers stress that because the VB variant causes a more rapid decline in immune system strength, this makes it critical that individuals are diagnosed early and start treatment as soon as possible.
University of Oxford’s Big Data Institute and Nuffield Department of Medicine’s Dr Chris Wymant, who is also the lead author for this research, said before this study, the genetics of the HIV virus were known to be relevant for virulence, implying that the evolution of a new variant could change its impact on health. He added that this discovery of the VB variant demonstrated this, providing a rare example of the risk posed by viral virulence evolution.
UNAIDS notes that 28.2 million people were accessing antiretroviral therapy as of 30 June 2021. 37.7 million (30.2 million–45.1 million) people globally were living with HIV in 2020. 1.5 million (1.0 million–2.0 million) people became newly infected with HIV in 2020.
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