News: Man cured himself of HIV

biko

Sorry Mods if this is "spammy" but I was just needed to share this hopeful news.

The NHS has confirmed claims in two newspapers that a man has cured himself of HIV, the virus that can lead to AIDS.

Andrew Stimpson, 25, tested positive for HIV in 2002.

A year later, he took two further tests which both came back negative.

The Chelsea and Westminster health trust has told Sky News that they believe Mr Stimpson's claims are true.

According to the News Of The World, doctors said his case is "medically remarkable".

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-13461702,00.html

county

crazy stuff alright,maybe now they can find a cure

Lump Basher

I think he just stopped being gay, then the Aids went away - coincidence?

vibrant

Interesting all right - but it makes me wonder if he may have got a false positive test result in the first place. Happened to someone I know, so it's not wildly out of the question.

eirebhoy

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/story_pages/news/news3.shtml

Lump Basher

lol - no way - he IS gay. I was only joking in my previous post.... coincidence?

pp_me129

it's a pity he does not know what he did to cure himself yes?

Dooom

pp_me129 wrote:

it's a pity he does not know what he did to cure himself yes?

Kind of seems to reinforce vibrant's suggestion...

Ruaidhri

Old News, there's a guy in New York who's immune to this virus. also they've (them scientist types!) found out that a crocodile's immune system is advanced/strong enough to handle this nasty little virus.

Dooom

Ruaidhri wrote:

Old News, there's a guy in New York who's immune to this virus. also they've (them scientist types!) found out that a crocodile's immune system is advanced/strong enough to handle this nasty little virus.

So he's like Killer Croc out of Batman. Cool.

On a slightly more serious tone, how the bejesus can someone be immune to it? He'd have to have some sort of massively mutated immune system would he not?
Human body really is an amazing thing- I found out yesterday that I've no feeling in my left index fingertip!

BuffyBot

On a slightly more serious tone, how the bejesus can someone be immune to it?

Some scientists believe there is a percentage of the population who are immune to the HIV virus. Google for HIV and immunity.

Kur4mA

My mate has one of these messed up super crazy immune systems and is immune to HIV and a load of other viruses. :v:

Ruaidhri

Spike wrote:

On a slightly more serious tone, how the bejesus can someone be immune to it? He'd have to have some sort of massively mutated immune system would he not?

Ask Darwin? Or if you're one of those Intelligent Design freaks.... :v: :v: :v:

Capt'n Midnight

Does anyone know the rate of false positives / false negatives of the HIV tests ?
So we can figure out how likely this is to be just a misdaignosis ?

Pompey Magnus

Apparently the Aids virus is weakening and is becoming less resistant to drugs and might not be even fatal in 60 years time. Hopefully we will start to see more and more of these cases in the near future.

Supercell

Is there any bug that has a 100% mortality rate?, with the population of the world being so large, I'd be suprised if there wasn't a few people that are immune/can fight off HIV tbh, hope he does help scientists to figure out how his immune system does it .

Mossy Monk

why is he refusing to take further tests?

Takeshi_Kovacs

correct me if i'm wrong, but i remember reading about majic johnson (the basketball player), that when he was diagnosed with hiv, he didn't get too worried about it, and kept up the training and stuff.. few years later tests show that the level of the virus in his body are extremely low, and some doctors, think he has beaten it...

also isn't the great white shark got the most powerful immune system in the animal kingdom... i don't think anything other than old age and man can kill it...!!

Rb

Mossy Monk wrote:

why is he refusing to take further tests?

I presume because he's afraid they'll come back positive.

rugbug86

Ruaidhri wrote:

Old News, there's a guy in New York who's immune to this virus. also they've (them scientist types!) found out that a crocodile's immune system is advanced/strong enough to handle this nasty little virus.

about 15% of the population have a certain gene that makes them immune to the virus, so this man isnt that unusual
and there's nothing wrong with the scientist types!

Mossy Monk

rb_ie wrote:

I presume because he's afraid they'll come back positive.

what has he to fear if he is cured

Capt'n Midnight

Longfield wrote:

Is there any bug that has a 100% mortality rate?, with the population of the world being so large, I'd be suprised if there wasn't a few people that are immune/can fight off HIV tbh, hope he does help scientists to figure out how his immune system does it .

Laughing Sickness
but it's only transmitted by eathing human brains ..

BTW: Ad part of the 50,000,000 kileld workd wide the flu pandemic of 1918 killed up 80% of the Samoan Islanders.

scojones

Sounds dodgy.

Flashling

I saw a documentary about how 3rd generation prostitutes in africa are immune to AIDs...maybe there's hope?

AARRRGH

HIV tests are notorious for giving false positives. Have a read of this -

http://www.theperthgroup.com/FAQ/question8.html

There is a large body of people who debate a lot of the "facts" to do with HIV/AIDS. I didn't really believe them, until a member of my family was diagnosed with HIV and everything that happened to him is exactly as the "dissident" groups said it would. i.e. he was perfectly healthy until he started the expensive treatment his hospital advised.

HIV/AIDS is big business.

I don't really believe all they say, but it's fascinating reading! However, if you research HIV/AIDS yourself you will see a lot of the "facts" do not add up.

Dooom

Longfield wrote:

Is there any bug that has a 100% mortality rate?

IIRC the Zaire strain of Ebola has a 90% rate. I know that's not 100, but it liquefies yer organs, which ooze out your nose. Bar the stomach. You throw that up later. And this is after it's shredded your collagen to lots of little(er) bits.

Basically Ebola's worse than HIV...

eth0_

rb_ie wrote:

I presume because he's afraid they'll come back positive.

And then he'd have to pay back the hundreds of thousands of pounds the News of the World no doubt paid him for this "EXCLUSIVE!!!!".

I think it's extremely irresponsible for a newspaper to carry a story like this, giving people false hope. It's very likely there was an adminstrative error, or simply a false negative result was given on his second test. The fact he refuses to take any more tests is beyond suspicious.

Presumably he's back having unprotected sex again, and it's likely he is still infected with HIV and is spreading it around.

Until there's a study performed, published and peer reviewed, I don't believe this story.

jonny68

This is actually groundbreaking stuff and hopefully soon a cure can actually be found for AIDS

Zillah

Its been all over sky news. They retested the original sample and did a DNA test. It was his sample and it was positive for the HIV virus. He is now free of the disease.

First news report that made me smile for as long as a can remember.

If they can synthesise the antibody then we could have a cure for HIV. Then again it could be something far more bizarre like a certain protein or some freaky uncorruptible DNA...

irishgeo

The mosquito manages to break down the adis virus in its immune system. Otherwise it would be passed when you get bit by one. If the Aids virus manages to get around this we are in big trouble.

Every time a virus mutuates it weakens itself in regards to how strong it is.

AARRRGH

Zillah wrote:

Its been all over sky news. They retested the original sample and did a DNA test. It was his sample and it was positive for the HIV virus. He is now free of the disease.

Not quite true. HIV tests only test for what appear to be HIV antibodies. If you read the disclaimers on the tests they even admit a positive result does not necessarily mean you have the HIV virus. It is very easy to fool a HIV test to give a positive result.

Ag marbh

dublindude wrote:

HIV tests are notorious for giving false positives. Have a read of this -

http://www.theperthgroup.com/FAQ/question8.html

There is a large body of people who debate a lot of the "facts" to do with HIV/AIDS. I didn't really believe them, until a member of my family was diagnosed with HIV and everything that happened to him is exactly as the "dissident" groups said it would. i.e. he was perfectly healthy until he started the expensive treatment his hospital advised.

HIV/AIDS is big business.

I don't really believe all they say, but it's fascinating reading! However, if you research HIV/AIDS yourself you will see a lot of the "facts" do not add up.

This is true. The companies are making a fortune out of cancer and hiv treatments so it wouldn't suprise me if someone has a cure but won't release it.

Franky Boy

Lump Basher wrote:

I think he just stopped being gay, then the Aids went away - coincidence?

Or a junkie?

Capt'n Midnight

Spike wrote:

Basically Ebola's worse than HIV...

As a rough rule of thumb it can do to you in a day what AIDS does in a year. IIRC there was one case with monkeys where they suspected one variant might be airborne. But pneumonic plague ( c.f. black death ) can kill in 3 days and is airborne.

rsynnott

Lump Basher wrote:

I think he just stopped being gay, then the Aids went away - coincidence?

I think you may need a new brain.

rugbug86 wrote:

about 15% of the population have a certain gene that makes them immune to the virus, so this man isnt that unusual
and there's nothing wrong with the scientist types!

No, no, but this guy HAD it, then didn't. That's different from just being immune.

Ruaidhri

rsynnott wrote:

I think you may need a new brain.

Ah jaysus lighten up it's just a bit of south park's influence.

Anyway who cares how he got it, the point is he (apparently) rid himself of the AIDS virus.

longfield wrote:

Is there any bug that has a 100% mortality rate?

This seems to point out that the Libreville, Gabon strain of the Ebola virus has 100% mortality rate. althought with only 3 cases. It really is amazing how resiliant life is :v:

Franky Boy

What a selfish wanker.

Mossy Monk

say what now