Few joyful news on the eve of AIDS

2002/11/28 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Medikuntza

In September it was discovered that a man with AIDS was infected with another strain of the virus. The case, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, raised concerns among researchers seeking the vaccine. In fact, man first became infected in 1998 and participated in a program to test anti-AIDS drugs. Scientists believed it was protected against the AIDS virus. However, two years later, when they saw that the man had been infected with another strain of the virus, they found themselves wrong. In addition, this second strain and the first were very close, the second is the most widespread in Europe and the USA.

This can have a big impact on vaccination research. To be effective, the vaccine should be protected from all AIDS viruses. But this is really difficult, as AIDS has more variants than the flu virus.

However, they do not know how many have been infected twice and some scientists believe that this case is very rare. In any case, it is clear that there are still many questions about the unanswered pollution mechanism.

Quick test

In addition, the American Abbot laboratories have launched a rapid test to detect the AIDS virus in blood. It seems that to know the result of the ordinary exams, it is necessary to wait two weeks, and there are many who do analysis and do not return to the hospital to know the result. According to US data, there are 8,000 annual leakage tests that give positive and do not know the result again.

This test, which has just been presented, results in 20 minutes and has a reliability of 99.6%. For the moment, it is expected to be distributed in large U.S. hospitals, but health officials believe it would be convenient to expand it also in smaller centers. Among other things, this test would allow the examination of women who go to childbirth. Thus, if necessary, the child would be treated immediately.

In addition, another similar test is pending authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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