Digital Desk: On Thursday, the Oxford University researchers announced that they had discovered a highly virulent strain of (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) HIV identified in the Netherlands.
The root of the contagious strain has been outlined as far back as the 1990s utilizing genetic sequence research.
The researchers working on identifying the new strain noted in the journal "Science," that patients infected with the "VB variant" had 3.5 to 5.5 times higher viral levels in their blood than those infected with alternative variants, along with a more rapid deterioration of their immune technique.
Yet, the study even discovered that individuals with the VB variant had identical immune system recovery and survival after beginning therapy to people with different HIV strains.
Moreover, Oxford epidemiologist Chris Wymant stated no reason to panic regarding the new viral strain. As per the study, the variant appeared in the late 1980s and early 1990s in the Netherlands, though it started to drop around 2010.
Since contemporary interventions still appear to function on the variant, the researchers believe that across-the-board HIV therapy in the Netherlands did not contribute to the virus's growth and that early detection and therapy are essential.
"Our discoveries emphasize the importance of World Health Organization guidance that individuals at risk of acquiring HIV have access to regular testing to allow early diagnosis, followed by direct therapy," stated co-author Christophe Fraser, even an Oxford researcher, in a press release.
This study further backs the hypothesis that viruses can become more contagious, a widely-hypothesized vision for which rare real-world instances have been discovered.
Therefore, the finding of the HIV strain should "be a forewarning that we should never be overconfident concerning expressing viruses will simply grow to evolve milder," stated Wymant to AFP.
According to the findings, the researchers discovered 109 individuals infected with the VB variant, with just four residing outside the Netherlands.
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