British Man Cured Of Hiv

[Buff-horns]

Sunday, 13 November 2005, 08:10 GMT

British man 'recovered from HIV'

Andrew Stimpson (pic: courtesy of News of the World/Mail on Sunday)

Andrew Stimpson said he was one of the luckiest people alive

Doctors are planning further tests on a 25-year-old British man whose body has reportedly cured itself of HIV.

Two Sunday newspapers report that Andrew Stimpson, who lives in London, was diagnosed as HIV-positive in 2002 but found to be clear in October 2003.

Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust, which carried out the tests, has asked him to undergo more. Mr Stimpson did not take any medication for HIV.

HIV experts say his case could help to reveal more about the disease.

I think I'm one of the luckiest people alive

Andrew Stimpson

Bacteria modified to fight HIV

There have been anecdotal accounts before from Africa of people shaking off the HIV virus, but the evidence in this case, as reported in the News of the World and the Mail on Sunday, appears to be conclusive, BBC health correspondent Adam Brimelow said.

Mr Stimpson, who is originally from Largs in Ayrshire, said: "There are 34.9 million people with HIV globally and I am just one person who managed to control it, to survive from it and to get rid of it from my body.

"For me that is unbelievable - it is a miracle. I think I'm one of the luckiest people alive."

Mr Stimpson told the newspapers that he became depressed and suicidal after being told he was HIV-positive but remained well and did not require medication.

Further tests

Some 14 months later he was offered another test by doctors, which came back negative.

He sought compensation but has apparently been told there is no case to answer because there was no fault with the testing procedure.

Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare Trust have asked to conduct more tests on Mr Stimpson both for his benefit and for other patients.

He has told the papers he would do anything he could to help find a cure.

Aids expert Dr Patrick Dixon, from international Aids group Acet, said the case was "very, very unusual".

Vaccine clue

"I've come across many anecdotal reports of this kind of thing happening in Africa, some quite recently, but it's difficult to verify them," he told BBC News 24.

"You have to be rock-solid sure that both samples came from the same person, no mix-up in the laboratory, no mistakes in the testing, etc.

"This is the first well-documented case."

He said the case was important because "inside his immune system is perhaps a key that could allow us to develop some kind of vaccine".

source: bbc.co.uk

[Buff-horns]

British man 'beats' HIV

Last Modified: 13 Nov 2005

Source: ITN

A British man has allegedly become the first person in the world to beat HIV.

A number of newspapers reported that Andrew Stimpson, 25, was diagnosed with the virus in 2002. He later tested negative in 2003. (Pic: News of the World/ Mail on Sunday)

Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust, which carried out the tests, now want him to undergo more before it can be established how he apparently beat the disease. Mr Stimpson said he did not take any medication for HIV.

A spokeswoman said: "These tests were accurate and they were his, but what we don't know at the moment is why that has happened, and we want him to come back in for more tests. It is potentially a fantastic thing."

Stimpson was tested three times in August 2002 at the Victoria clinic for sexual health in central London.

The results showed he was producing HIV antibodies to fight the killer disease.

He took vitamins and other dietary supplements in the hopes that this might prevent full-blown Aids from developing.

After impressing doctors with his good health, Stimpson was offered a new test in 2003.

It came back negative, and further tests in December 2003 and March 2004 also proved negative.

He told a newspaper: "It was the last thing I expected. I was astonished. I was baffled too.

"I couldn't understand how anyone could cure themselves of HIV . . . I thought it had to be wrong because no one can recover from HIV, it just doesn't happen."

The tests were re-checked by the Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust and they confirmed all the tests had been accurate.

The case has baffled medical experts and they want to study Mr Stimpson in the hope that they can learn more about beating HIV.

channel4.com

[Digger]

This is an interesting situation. For those that do not know, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital is the largest centre in Europe for HIV treatment. Forget any stories about an underfunded National Heathcare system in the UK, these guys get huge funding from government and commercial grants from drug companies - this is basically as good as it gets anywhere in the world in terms of HIV research and treatment. The research teams at this hospital have been responsible for making heaps of new discoveries about understanding and treatment of HIV/AIDS and are very very respected worldwide. Therefore, this is not likely to be some mix-up of test samples or a second rate testing job in a provincial hospital unfamiliar with HIV testing. If its true, it could be a major breakthrough in understanding what can lead to a potential cure and or vacine for HIV.

[chuchok]

This is an interesting situation.  For those that do not know, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital is the largest centre in Europe for HIV treatment.  Forget any stories about an underfunded National Heathcare system in the UK, these guys get huge funding from government and commercial grants from drug companies - this is basically as good as it gets anywhere in the world in terms of HIV research and treatment.  The research teams at this hospital have been responsible for making heaps of new discoveries about understanding and treatment of HIV/AIDS and are very very respected worldwide.    Therefore, this is not likely to be some mix-up of test samples or a second rate testing job in a provincial hospital unfamiliar with HIV testing.    If its true, it could be a major breakthrough in understanding what can lead to a potential cure and or vacine for HIV.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just been reported on BBC World.

[chownah]

Sell all your stocks for condom companies and LET'S PARTY!!!!!

[John K]

That is great news if true, but don’t toss your condoms yet. And for those of you who may indulge in the adult nightlife, a word of warning. Girls that have mouth jewelry in particular tongue studs, be carful with them. The stud continually irritates the tongue of the girl, and the man during oral sex. It can quickly lead to blood to blood contact. From there I am sure you can know what is next.

[solo siam]

HIV+ Tests have a very high margin of error, I dont see this as even being newsworthy to be honest.

Don't HIV tests, test for antibodies to the virus, rather than the virus itself - There are lots of illnesses that can throw off the test results, even if someone is tested multiple times.

[Buff-horns]

Britisher claims to be cured of HIV: Tabloid

Press Trust of India

London, November 13, 2005

In a sensational medical development, a 25-year-old British man has emerged as the first HIV sufferer in the world to be cured of the killer virus, a tabloid claimed in London on Sunday.

Andrew Stimpson, a sandwich-maker, has miraculously tested negative for the virus after having it for more than a year, according to a report in the 'News of the World'.

The results so dumbfounded doctors they repeated the test twice because they couldn't believe it -- but they could find no trace of HIV in his blood, it said.

They have labelled Andrew's case "medically remarkable". And a spokeswoman for AIDS charity the Terence Higgins Trust said "nobody has ever spontaneously cleared themselves of HIV. It's the statistical equivalent of going to the moon without a spaceship. HIV researchers will be jumping up and down about this."

Andrew will now offer himself for medical tests to unlock the secret in his body that has killed off a virus responsible for wiping out 20 million people worldwide since 1981.

"I feel truly special and lucky," he told the newspaper. "All the doctors have told me it is a medical miracle that I am clear."

"I remember after the repeat tests my doctor came into the room saying, 'You've cured yourself! This is unbelievable, you're fantastic!' It's so amazing to think that one day I was staring death in the face and now I am waving it goodbye."

Andrew said, "I have no idea how I got rid of the virus. I was just taking daily supplements to keep myself as healthy as possible so as not to get full-blown AIDS."

Andrew, a gay man from Largs, Ayrshire, caught the virus from his HIV-positive boyfriend Juan.

In May 2002, worried that he was feeling tired, weak and feverish, Andrew had three blood tests at the Victoria Clinic for Sexual Health in west London, which specialises in HIV.

At first they were negative, but he was told the virus takes three months to show up in the blood after contraction. When he returned for more tests in August, this time they found HIV anti-bodies that proved it was lurking in his body.

Though he knew the odds were stacked against him, Andrew began taking a daily cocktail of supplements in a bid to keep as healthy as possible. Because he was in the early stages with a low HIV count in his blood, he did not need medication.

Every two months he was going for blood tests and checks on liver, heart and immune system. Doctors were astonished at his continuing excellent health, unusual for an HIV sufferer. So in October 2003, he was offered a repeat HIV test -- and the result came back negative.

"I thought it had to be wrong because no one can recover from HIV, it just doesn't happen," Andrew said. Yet an investigation by Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust proved that the first HIV tests were Andrew's, there was no mix-up and the second HIV test results were his too, the report said.

"If Andrew has been cleared of the virus, that needs to be investigated thoroughly to see if it can be reproduced in any way. We need to find out precisely what's happened with this person," Lisa Power from the Higgins Trust said.

[britmaveric]

Hmmm somehow I doubt this story.

[Buff-horns]

British medics give cautious response to HIV patient 'cure' claim

1 hour, 21 minutes ago

LONDON (AFP) - Doctors urged a British man to come forward for further tests after he claimed to have become the first person in the world to shake off the

HIV virus.

Andrew Stimpson was diagnosed as HIV-positive in August 2002 but tests 14 months later showed the virus had completely disappeared from his body, according to hospital officials.

The 25-year-old, from Largs on Scotland's west coast, told two British newspapers he felt special and blessed to have been "cured" and pledged to help medics in their fight against the condition, which usually leads to

AIDS.

"It's so amazing to think that one day I was staring death in the face and now I am waving it goodbye," Stimpson told the News of the World.

But doctors at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London who carried out the initial tests on Stimpson's blood, were more cautious Sunday, stopping short of saying he had been given the all-clear.

"I can confirm that he has a positive and a negative test," said a spokeswoman. "I can't confirm with you that he's shaken it off, that he's been cured.

"When we became aware of his HIV-negative result, we offered him further tests to help us investigate and find an explanation. So far he has declined to do so."

She added: "We urge him, for the sake of himself and the HIV community, to come in and get tested."

On hearing of the negative results, Stimpson told newspapers he considered suing the hospital for bungling the initial test.

But he received a letter from the hospital last month stating there was no case to answer. An investigation had confirmed the blood in all the samples was his and there were no mix-ups.

"Those tests are both accurate, the positive and a negative. They are correct," said the hospital spokeswoman.

The Mail on Sunday newspaper reported that in two previous cases of so-called "spontaneous clearance", it was impossible to prove that both the positive and negative tests had come from the same person.

Stimpson was all the more surprised, given that on hearing he had tested HIV positive, he gave up safe sex with his infected boyfriend, 44-year-old Juan Gomez.

"I have no idea how I got rid of the virus," he told the News of the World. "I was just taking daily supplements to keep myself as healthy as possible so as not to get full-blown AIDS.

"But maybe it's all down to some genetics in my immune system -- so it's important for me to help with research because it can be a big step forward towards a cure for everyone."

He told the Mail on Sunday: "I can't help wondering if I hold the cure for AIDS. There are 34.9 million people with HIV and if I have something to contribute, then I am willing and ready to help."

Doctor George Kinghorn, an HIV specialist at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, described Stimpson's case as highly unusual.

"If we can better understand what happened inside Andrew's body, it could prove to be a step towards a breakthrough in beating the HIV virus," he told the News of the World.

Stimpson first went for tests in May 2002 after feeling weak and feverish. They came back negative. However, the virus can take three months to appear in the blood after contraction.

Tests in August that year found an exceptionally low level of HIV anti-bodies.

Because he was in the early stages, he did not require medication, but doctors were surprised by his continuing good health.

Repeat tests in October 2003 and ever since have come back negative.

yahoonews.com

[womble]

HIV+ Tests have a very high margin of error, I dont see this as even being newsworthy to be honest.

Don't HIV tests, test for antibodies to the virus, rather than the virus itself - There are lots of illnesses that can throw off the test results, even if someone is tested multiple times.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't think this would be one of the main storys on BBC World if it wasn't newsworthy. Granted they don't always get everything right, or report everthing exactly how it is, the Tsunami coverage being an example of poor reporting. But given that the hospital in question has one of the worlds best HIV research teams and the fact that the medical world is taking this very seriously and are already saying this could possibly lead to breakthroughs, or at the least greater understanding of how the body can possibly fight off the disease.

Anything that gives a good chance of major breakthroughs in fighting one of the most serious diseases facing mankind is in my eyes very newsworthy.

The whole reason this story has made the headlines is because the testing was done at a world class facility. As the article states their are other cases, but they can't be proved as the testing had not have been caried out at such a well respected facility.

If there was any chance the readings were wrong as you are insinuating then I reallyt don't think the story would have made it this far.

[khall64au]

Hmmm somehow I doubt this story.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why Britmaveric? Why do you doubt? Miracles do happen and the human body is an amazing machine. Sometimes mindpower works very well in curing incureables.

I have a friend who was diagnosed HIV+ many years ago. She was suicidal and almost died from the disease but changed her mindset and - although she is yet to beat the virus- she is now a proud mother and one of the healthiest people I know on the planet.

[meom]

I think there are plenty of people walking around with HIV without even knowing and who don't get sick.

Same as there are plenty of smokers that don't die of cancer and just continue puffing away into their 80's.

[custard]

He's really really lucky. Now I'm hoping he won't put himself at risk again.

[britmaveric]

I wonder who will be the first bird lined up to shag this lad to test how cured he is?

[Buff-horns]

we dont know what suplements he has been taking as yet , maybe there is something there we need to know about.

when it comes to HIV any hope however small is better than no hope at all.

someone very dear to me needs some good news on HIV or it could be the end.

[The Gentleman Scamp]

He took vitamins and other dietary supplements in the hopes that this might prevent full-blown Aids from developing.

Good idea, and Khall said something about mindset which probably helped.

It brings a whole new meaning to HIV 'Positive' if one can keep mentally optomistic and keep their body in top shape.

I believe it's possible.

Edited November 13, 2005 by The Gentleman Scamp

[Abandon]

I doubt the original test was accurate. Mistakes happen.

Even the worthy BBC has to report stories as they break - they had little choice but to cover the story. No time to verify, because the other news vendors will have put it out already.

[Guest endure]

A piece from today's Sunday Times:

Doctors baffled as HIV man ‘cures’ himself

Sophie Kirkham

A MAN who tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes Aids, has subsequently shown up negative for the disease in a case that has mystified doctors.

It was claimed last night that Andrew Stimpson, 25, may have shaken off the virus with his own immune system after contracting HIV in 2002.

If proved, the NHS has said the case would be “medically remarkable”. It could provide vital information to researchers looking into treatments for HIV and Aids, which has killed about 3,800 people in Britain since the 1980s.

The worldwide annual death toll is more than 3m.

The Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS trust, which treated Stimpson, has said he needs to undergo more tests before it can be established how he apparently conquered HIV.

“These tests were accurate and they were his, but what we don’t know at the moment is why that has happened, and we want him to come back in for more tests,” said a spokeswoman. “It is potentially a fantastic thing.”

Stimpson was tested three times in August 2002 at the Victoria clinic for sexual health in central London and the results showed he was producing HIV antibodies to fight the disease.

Stimpson, originally from Largs in Ayrshire, contracted the virus from his boyfriend, Juan Gomez, 44. He began taking vitamins and other dietary supplements to keep his body healthy in the hopes that this might fend off the development of full-blown Aids.

In October 2003, after impressing doctors with his good health, Stimpson was offered a new test, which came back negative. Further tests in December 2003 and March last year also proved negative.

“It was the last thing I expected. I was astonished. I was baffled too,” he told the News of the World. “I couldn’t understand how anyone could cure themselves of HIV . . . I thought it had to be wrong because no one can recover from HIV, it just doesn’t happen.”

The tests were re-checked by the Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust when Stimpson threatened litigation believing there must be a mistake, but the results confirmed all the tests had been accurate.

In a letter understood to be from the NHS Litigation Authority in October this year, Stimpson was told: “The fact you have recovered from a positive antibody result to a negative result is exceptional and medically remarkable.”

The trust said there had been several other cases of claimed “spontaneous clearance” of the virus worldwide, although it is not believed any have been proved. A spokeswoman added that the trust had urged Stimpson to return for tests, but that so far he had not done so.

[Guest endure]

I wonder who will be the first bird lined up to shag this lad to test how cured he is?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

She'll have to ask his boyfriend first

[Buff-horns]

Briton cured of HIV could be key to beating Aids, expert says

Sunday, 13th November 2005, 13:30

Category: Healthy Living

LIFE STYLE EXTRA (UK) - A Briton apparently cured of the killer HIV virus could hold the key in the battle to beat Aids, an Aids expert has claimed.

Londoner Andrew Stimpson, 25, appears to be the first HIV sufferer in the world to have later tested negative for the disease.

Gay Andrew caught the virus from his HIV-positive boyfriend Juan. He was diagnosed in August 2002 after blood tests at the Victoria Clinic for Sexual Health in west London, which specialises in HIV.

In October 2003, a repeat HIV test result came back negative and an investigation by Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust confirmed that there had been no mix-up over either test.

Dr Patrick Dixon, founder of international Aids group Acet, described Andrew's case as "extraordinary and unique".

He said: "Individual cases have been reported in the past where people have tested positive and then later tested negative but it has been hard to be sure that there weren't errors in the testing in the first place as some of these reports have come from Africa.

"What's unique in this case is the care in the way that these tests have been done and the re-checks which has led the hospital to the conclusion that this individual has learned how to cure himself of HIV infection.

"If it's true, it means that the immune system of this individual has discovered a weakness in HIV which holds the key to destroying it.

"If we could find a way of reproducing that same effect in other people who have HIV then it could lead to a new kind of treatment or even potentially a cure.

"The answer may turn out to be in his specific genetic code. We know that some individuals have a genetic resistance to HIV infection.

"This is known as the CCR5 gene and there is some evidence that up to 20 per cent of Caucasians in the UK carry this gene.

"There is also evidence that around 1 per cent of Caucasians in the UK carry two copies of this gene and these individuals in studies around the world seem to have powerful resistance to HIV infection.

"Medical researchers will be wanting to look closely at how the white blood cells behave inside this individual. The immune system is incredibly complicated and the key will be to discover exactly how this individual's immune system is working.

"The holy grail of Aids research would be to find an antibody that is effective.

"The only real answer at the moment though is prevention.

[Steve2UK]

I wonder who will be the first bird lined up to shag this lad to test how cured he is?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Fast Eddie]

I doubt the original test was accurate. Mistakes happen.

Even the worthy BBC has to report stories as they break - they had little choice but to cover the story. No time to verify, because the other news vendors will have put it out already.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not likely at a hospital in the UK. Not only will he have had the antibody test, but he will have also had the p24 antigen test to confirm the positive. Then he would have been required to have viral load and cd4 tests to see at what stage the illness was at, to determine whether he required medication.

[cobra]

A lot of HIV patients who take the multiply drug cocktail have HIV levels that are clinical undetectable, when they stop their meds it eventually returns.

Time will tell on this new treatment.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

He makes sandwiches for a living ... there's something else I'll have to give up

[patrickq]

HIV+ Tests have a very high margin of error, I dont see this as even being newsworthy to be honest.

Don't HIV tests, test for antibodies to the virus, rather than the virus itself - There are lots of illnesses that can throw off the test results, even if someone is tested multiple times.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

True.

Virus itself hasn't been isolated, the whole AIDS thing is a monumental scam.

For those who don't know about the UK press the 'News of the World' and 'Mail' are trash newspapers that 'report' just about anything that they can make up, so impossible to tell if there is any truth in anything they print!

... Chelsea & Westminster Hospital is the largest centre in Europe for HIV treatment.  Forget any stories about an underfunded National Heathcare system in the UK, these guys get huge funding from government and commercial grants from drug companies - this is basically as good as it gets anywhere in the world in terms of HIV research and treatment.  The research teams at this hospital have been responsible for making heaps of new discoveries about understanding and treatment of HIV/AIDS and are very very respected worldwide.    Therefore, this is not likely to be some mix-up of test samples or a second rate testing job in a provincial hospital unfamiliar with HIV testing.    If its true, it could be a major breakthrough in understanding what can lead to a potential cure and or vacine for HIV.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Guess he was lucky not to get another infection while at this 'top' hospital:

The actor Leslie Ash told the conference how she contracted MSSA - an MRSA-related infection - last year at the Chelsea and Westminster hospital. She lost all feeling from the waist down. (http://society.guardian.co.uk/mrsa/story/0,15825,1460169,00.html)

Interesting that this hospital gets drug company grants ... no conflict of interest there then!!!

Time to realise that drug companies have absolutely no interest in curing AIDS, just in selling hugely profitable drugs, that in most cases actually kill the patients.

One of the worst things is diagnosing people as having HIV based on a totally flawed test, destroying lives and families. As you probably gather I have little time for these drug companies and governments that purport to be concerned about humanity ... the whole thing stinks.

You want to really cure 'AIDS' in Africa, then quit oppressing the people and give them access to clean sanitation and let them use their land to grow food to feed themselves. Simple ... but highly unprofitable and doesn't give you control over them.

[Digger]

HIV+ Tests have a very high margin of error, I dont see this as even being newsworthy to be honest.

Don't HIV tests, test for antibodies to the virus, rather than the virus itself - There are lots of illnesses that can throw off the test results, even if someone is tested multiple times.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In isolation, your comments would be valid however the facts of this are that as is standard practice in all NHS HIV centres, a positive result then means further extensive tests are carried out to determine the level of virus in the bloodstream (Viral load test) and the state of the bodies imune system that fights all infections (the CD4 count) - so for example, a unclear test result on say a western blot test or elisa test, would mean that these additional tests are undertaken. The first line tests look for the body produce HIV antibodies - i.e the cells the human body uses to fight such an infection. Thats why they are called Anti-HIV tests. These tests are cheap and simple to carry out. Viral load tests in particular are expensive which is why they are not undertaken unless a antibody test is positive or inconclusive.

It has already been stated that the patient has been tested multiple times, and one can conclude from the hospital statement advising that the patients condition had not required treatment at the time of those tests means quite simply they have already undertaken the CD4 & Viral load tests - they cannot reach that conclusion without doing these tests as they are the only way to determine the progress of the infection.

This patient does not pay for treatment, all people are treated for HIV in the UK without charge, even those who are not British. This is not some dodgy clinic in the back of beyond - these tests will have been extensive and unlikely to be wrong on multiple occassions of testing. Once perhaps but more than once is very unlikely and he's been tested on multiple occassions. Incidentally, subsequent tests are always viral load and CD4, not the simple tests for antibodies. So basically they were counting the virus in his blood and the condition of his own immune system - statistically the viral load goes up with disease progression and CD4 comes down as the virus basically destroys the immune system and multiplies. This guy was not on any medication, therefore something within his own body or the supplements he was taken has basically wiped out the virus - this is the interesting part. Its not conclusive proof of a cure, buts it is an interesting development.

[Digger]

A lot of HIV patients who take the multiply drug cocktail have HIV levels that are clinical undetectable,  when they stop their meds it eventually returns.

Time will tell on this new treatment.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Even when undetectable in terms of viral load due to medicines taking effect and assisitng the bodies immune system, the body still produces Anti HIV antibodies - therefore if a HIV poisitive takes another antibody test even when undetectable with medicine, the result will still show positive for antibodies - thats why its been re-tested on him many times, just to be sure.

Also this patient is not on any medication, so what else has wiped out the virus?

[Digger]

HIV+ Tests have a very high margin of error, I dont see this as even being newsworthy to be honest.

Don't HIV tests, test for antibodies to the virus, rather than the virus itself - There are lots of illnesses that can throw off the test results, even if someone is tested multiple times.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

True.

Virus itself hasn't been isolated, the whole AIDS thing is a monumental scam.

For those who don't know about the UK press the 'News of the World' and 'Mail' are trash newspapers that 'report' just about anything that they can make up, so impossible to tell if there is any truth in anything they print!

... Chelsea & Westminster Hospital is the largest centre in Europe for HIV treatment.  Forget any stories about an underfunded National Heathcare system in the UK, these guys get huge funding from government and commercial grants from drug companies - this is basically as good as it gets anywhere in the world in terms of HIV research and treatment.  The research teams at this hospital have been responsible for making heaps of new discoveries about understanding and treatment of HIV/AIDS and are very very respected worldwide.    Therefore, this is not likely to be some mix-up of test samples or a second rate testing job in a provincial hospital unfamiliar with HIV testing.    If its true, it could be a major breakthrough in understanding what can lead to a potential cure and or vacine for HIV.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Guess he was lucky not to get another infection while at this 'top' hospital:

The actor Leslie Ash told the conference how she contracted MSSA - an MRSA-related infection - last year at the Chelsea and Westminster hospital. She lost all feeling from the waist down. (http://society.guardian.co.uk/mrsa/story/0,15825,1460169,00.html)

Interesting that this hospital gets drug company grants ... no conflict of interest there then!!!

Time to realise that drug companies have absolutely no interest in curing AIDS, just in selling hugely profitable drugs, that in most cases actually kill the patients.

One of the worst things is diagnosing people as having HIV based on a totally flawed test, destroying lives and families. As you probably gather I have little time for these drug companies and governments that purport to be concerned about humanity ... the whole thing stinks.

You want to really cure 'AIDS' in Africa, then quit oppressing the people and give them access to clean sanitation and let them use their land to grow food to feed themselves. Simple ... but highly unprofitable and doesn't give you control over them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well lets hope you dont get affected by this condition and need to seek medical help. Incidentally, how else to drug companies get to 3rd stage medical trials for medicines, advertise in the newspapers for participants? - its always done in conjunction with key teaching hospitals and the drug companies effectively pay for the support they get from the hospitals in terms of staffing costs, administration, research teams etc.

[solo siam]

If his CD4 levels didnt require him to take medication then I cant see how that those levels could prove HIV, a CD4 count can be affected by many other diseases as can some of the other HIV tests.

They cant count the virus in his blood as one poster stated, seeing as no-one has yet managed to identify the virus. What they do is test for Antibodies (Which is how you would normally test to see if someone is immune to a virus) and then they check the blood to see if some of the effects of HIV are present (effects which other diseases also have).

Both standard HIV tests can return false positives, Its probably just a coincidence.

HIV medicine doesnt involve boosting the immune system, it involves destroying it from what I've read, AZT was used primarily for Chemotherapy until it was shelved for being too toxic.

Edited November 14, 2005 by Ben@H3-Digital