Researchers at Oxford University have discovered an extremely potent variant of HIV which they believe has been circulating in the Netherlands for almost four decades.
Named as “VB,” the new HIV strain has the ability to infect its victims with up to 5.5 times more viral load in comparison to previously known variants of the disease.
According to the recently published study, Oxford researchers claimed that this variant most likely emerged either in the late 1980s or early 1990s in the Netherlands.
Since HIV treatment is prevalent in the country, the variant failed to evolve and infect a larger population. This also shows that existing HIV treatments are effective against the newly discovered strain, which has been confirmed by laboratory tests as well.
Moreover, laboratory tests also showed that existing treatments would give the same immunity to VB patients after recovery as the patients of the other variants of the disease.
Speaking in this regard, Chris Wymant, Epidemiologist at Oxford University and the study’s lead author, said that the modern HIV interventions have proven effective against VB variants and there is no need to panic.
The study highlights the importance of the WHO’s guidelines which call for the widespread availability of testing and treatment for individuals at risk of contracting HIV.
