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Just like Covid, HIV mutates very quickly but the vast majority of these changes make no difference to the nature of the virus. With an early diagnosis and effective treatments, most people with HIV will not develop any AIDS-related illnesses and will live a near-normal lifespan. There’s currently no cure for HIV, but there are very effective drug treatments that enable most people with the virus to live a long and healthy life. While AIDS cannot be transmitted from 1 person to another, the HIV virus can. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that damages the cells in your immune system and weakens your ability to fight everyday infections and disease.ĪIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is the name used to describe a number of potentially life-threatening infections and illnesses that happen when your immune system has been severely damaged by the HIV virus. The analysis found VB arose in the 1980s and has been declining since 2010.Īn analysis of genetic patterns suggests VB first arose during the late 1980s and 1990s in the Netherlands. Independent experts have said the finding is nothing to panic about. More than 100,000 Britons and 1million Americans are thought to be living with HIV. However, after starting treatment, those with the variant have a similar immune system recovery and survival rate to those infected with other HIV strains.īut the researchers warned the rapid health decline after catching VB means early detection and treatment is ‘critical’.īritons are advised to get tested for HIV and other STIs at least one a year, while men who have sex with men are advised to get tested every three months. The VB variant also has a viral load between 3.5 and 5.5 times higher than the current strain, meaning infected people are more likely to transmit the virus to others. It means those who catch this strain could develop AIDS more quickly. The strain damages the immune system and weakens a person’s ability to fight everyday infections and disease faster than previous versions of the virus. The new mutant - called the VB variant - has infected at least 109 people, according to a study by Oxford University.

NETHERLANDS/UK: A new super-mutant HIV strain that makes infected individuals ill twice as fast as current versions of the virus has been detected in the Netherlands.