http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4432564.stm

Quote :

"Doctors say they want to investigate the case of a British man with HIV who apparently became clear of the virus. Andrew Stimpson, 25, was diagnosed HIV-positive in 2002 but was found to be negative in October 2003 by Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust. Mr Stimpson, from London, said he was "one of the luckiest people alive". The trust said the tests were accurate but had been unable to confirm Scotsman Mr Stimpson's cure because he had declined to undergo further tests. A statement from the trust said: "This is a rare and complex case. When we became aware of Mr Stimpson's HIV negative test results we offered him further tests to help us investigate and find an explanation for the different results. Bacteria modified to fight HIV "So far Mr Stimpson has declined this offer." A trust spokeswoman added: "We urge him, for the sake of himself and the HIV community, to come in and get tested. "If he doesn't feel that he can come to Chelsea and Westminster then he should please go to another HIV specialist." 'Miracle' There have been anecdotal accounts before from Africa of people shaking off the HIV virus. 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 News of the World and Mail on Sunday 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. He has told the papers he would do anything he could to help find a cure. Deborah Jack, chief executive of the National Aids Trust, said: "This appears to be a highly unusual case and without further tests it is impossible to draw any conclusions for people living with HIV. "The virus is extremely complex and there are many unknowns about how it operates and how people's bodies react to it. "Therefore, if this case were able to shed further light, it could be extremely valuable for research into treatments or a cure." Vaccine clue Aids expert Dr Patrick Dixon, from international Aids group Acet, said the case was "very, very unusual". "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". "

[Edited on November 14, 2005 at 5:14 PM. Reason : ]

11/14/2005 5:14:25 PM

as much as i wish this was what they are making it out to be, its probably not

11/14/2005 5:27:01 PM

i thought this thread was about suicide

11/14/2005 5:58:32 PM

bottom line is that his initial test where he was positive was probably just a lab mistake

[Edited on November 14, 2005 at 6:16 PM. Reason : HE WASNT CURED so stop posting misleading titles]

11/14/2005 6:15:39 PM

Quote :

"Cynic"

11/14/2005 6:59:25 PM

I'd imagine that it's within the realm of possibility that this occured naturally. An absolute 100% mortality rate from a disease would, for me, be harder to accept than a person here or there happening to have some trait that made them resistant.

My cousin has HIV, but he also has money, and for that reason he has remained healthy for some fifteen years. I have heard talk about the treatment that may or may be accurate, but even if it isn't purging the virus from his body it certainly appears to be keeping him alive and kicking.

11/14/2005 8:10:44 PM

Quote :

"An absolute 100% mortality rate from a disease would, for me, be harder to accept than a person here or there happening to have some trait that made them resistant."

thats not how it is, it isnt one or the other
you can have the virus and live a healthy life

what they are suggesting is that someone had it... and now doesnt. that their body naturally rid itself of the virus.

11/14/2005 8:14:17 PM

But I'm saying that I am inclined to suspect that such a result is possible. Common? Of course not. But possible in rare cases.

11/14/2005 8:17:05 PM

Why is it more believeable to think this guy cured himself of aids (or had a biological resistance), than that he tested a false positive in 2002? HIV tests are not 100% acurate you know.

11/14/2005 9:35:00 PM

lets take bets. my money is on leeches.

11/14/2005 9:35:39 PM

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"HE WASNT CURED so stop posting misleading titles"

I guess you didn't notice the quotes I used around the word "cured," did you?

11/14/2005 9:52:04 PM

Quote :

"Why is it more believeable to think this guy cured himself of aids (or had a biological resistance), than that he tested a false positive in 2002? HIV tests are not 100% acurate you know."

I saw it on MarginalRevolution this morning as well and it appears that the main reason the doctors havent said it was probably a false-positive is because theyre trying to cover their own asses:

Quote :

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

11/14/2005 10:17:50 PM

Quote :

"An absolute 100% mortality rate from a disease would, for me, be harder to accept than a person here or there happening to have some trait that made them resistant."

the level of ignorance here is fairly high. 10% of the european population has a one allele for a mutated chemokine receptor... about 1% of all people have both alleles and cannot be infected with HIV. there is one exception where one person who has both alleles is thought to have been infected by a very virulent strain.

this group never cured themselves, they simply never got infected to begin with.



[Edited on November 14, 2005 at 10:23 PM. Reason : -]

11/14/2005 10:20:07 PM