Yep, it's true:

New York City's Public Health Department today issued a public health advisory after reporting the first documented case of an alarming, new, rapidly-progressing and highly drug resistant strain of HIV in a New York man who progressed from his initial HIV infection, thought to have occurred in mid-October 2004, to a largely untreatable strain of AIDS in just three months.
According to City health officials, the man -- who had previously had five negative HIV tests done by his private physician between September 2000 and May 2003 -- had unprotected sex with numerous male partners in mid-October, reported feeling unwell in late October and November, and subsequently had positive ELISA and Western Blot (HIV tests) documented in mid-December. The individual then progressed to a diagnosis of highly drug-resistant AIDS by mid-January. Ordinarily, it has taken up to ten years for an untreated individual to progress from HIV infection to an AIDS defining illness and diagnosis.
"It appears this individual has contracted a new, particularly virulent strain of HIV that swiftly advanced to AIDS in just a few short months," said Charles Farthing, MD, AIDS Healthcare Foundation's Chief of Medicine.
"Unfortunately, it also seems that few of the AIDS treatments currently available today can be used in his case, as his particular strain of infection appears to be resistant to most known AIDS drugs. AIDS care providers see many cases of patients with a high degree of some drug resistance; however, doctors and providers can usually find a second or third line drug therapy regimen for effective treatment. This man's strain of infection appears to be much more pathogenic, much more able to wreak havoc with his immune system, and medical providers and public health officials are being well-advised to work closely together to monitor -- and hopefully prevent transmission of -- this strain of the virus by encouraging gay men, in particular, to practice safer sex and use condoms during all sexual encounters."
"This case in New York underscores the crucial need to step up collaborative efforts among public health officials, medical providers and AIDS groups to fine tune and develop aggressive, ongoing and innovative HIV prevention programs with a particular emphasis on targeting high-risk populations," said Michael Weinstein, AIDS Healthcare Foundation President.
"Clearly men who have sex with men continue to be at risk, as well as African Americans, as President Bush noted last week in his State of the Union address. Rather than demonizing particular individuals or groups, we need to work together develop a more pragmatic and comprehensive public health approach to fighting HIV, including addressing many of the underlying reasons people put themselves at risk-including undiagnosed depression and poor access to mental health services -- if we are to truly break the chain of infection through effective prevention, testing and treatment efforts."
AIDS Healthcare Foundation is the largest AIDS organization and the largest specialized provider of HIV/AIDS medical care in the United States. AHF serves thousands of patients in California, New York and Florida regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. AHF operates three free AIDS treatment clinics in developing nations: the Ithembalabantu (Zulu for "people's hope") Clinic in Durban, South Africa; the Uganda Cares Clinic in Masaka, Uganda; and the Siempre Unidos Clinic in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. http://www.aidshealth.org.



PLEASE PRACTICE SAFE SEX PEOPLE!!!!
[Edited 2/14/05 8:24am]

Just googled up this: http://nydailynews.com/fr...0060c.html
Scary

I read this the other day. It can have an impact like nothing we have seen if it takes hold. Horrid news!

Well one thing we can consider is that maybe they are looking for more funding and using this as a scare tactic. This man has slept with over 200 men and was having unprotected sex the whole time. I'm not fully convinced just yet...if we hear of more cases then it's scary as hell.

Awful,I also read abt it yesterday on the internet

is there anymore research avaible?

and it's quite possible for someone who is newly infected to pick up a few differnt viruses, and therefore be superinfected. also i wonder if anything else like maybe a Meth addiction might be compounding the situation

Scary, scary stuff.

he's already infected and still he's not using protection? what is wrong with people? just protect yourself. damn!

heybaby said:

and protect other people too!

applekisses said:

i'm ashamed to say, but some people in this group, my group, do not care. i am all about safety though. god forbid i should cause anyone to hae to live with this.

Was reading up on this. . .apparently, this is not a confirmed new strain. There are sometimes people who progress quickly for various reasons, and the drugs just don't work for everybody. Plus, his immune system probably wasn't being helped by the meth habit. So it could easily be something with HIM, not with the virus, that made him so sick.

Not that it really matters; whatever strain you get you sure as hell don't want.

cborgman said:

I know honey...it's just like some people don't care about drinking and driving or something else that has the potential for killing someone. It's sad that some people can be so reckless.

applekisses said:

exactly

and just cause i am obsessive compulsive. it should be titled "new strain of HIV" not "new strain of AIDS", as hiv is the actual virus, AIDS is the disease that HIV causes.

cborgman said:

AIDS isn't a disease... it's a syndrom, that allows diseases that would normally cause no threat to become lethal.

ehuffnsd said:

oops... yes, you are right. sorry, my brain is on auto-pilot today

no problem... just what i have to every so often with my mom when she forgets the facts i've told her

ehuffnsd said:

you living positive as well?

5 years on March 15

ehuffnsd said:

3 years this october.

good to know i'm not the only one here

ehuffnsd said:

there is at least one other i know of, theblueangel

cborgman said:

How do you guys deal with this? It's gotta be something that's on your mind all the time.

CarrieLee said:

deal with HIV?

i don't think of it as the end... just makes me more aware of the i do to take care of myself...

i'm in better health now than i was before.

i'm 3 and half years sober... work out 4 days week... and try to eat healthy.

it's no different than living with diabetes anymore, it's totally manageable.

only time it's an issue is when it's time to negoate sex with people that are illinformed

CarrieLee said:

it doesn't really bother me much, i always equate it to living with diabetes, you just have to be cautious about your blood work, etc. the only thing that bothers me about it is it tends to really scare people off romantically. people will express interest in dating me until they find out, although i can not say as i blame them as i did the same thing aa few years before i was poz.

cborgman said:

this group? my group?

how about people in general?

dont stick me or anyone is a category beyond the human race..thats the kinda talk that prevented people in power from actually education all of us about this decease when it first came out...

im sure you didnt mean harm by what you said but.. it wasnt coolio..

toddles!!

sosgemini said:

you are positive?

cborgman said:

ohh..i completely misread your statement...man, i am all off today...oops..apologies....

sosgemini said:

s'ok

tackam said:

progression to an AIDS diagnois can come from the health condition of the person (do they smoke, use drugs, have lots of stress, etc.)

I would interested in hearing what happens with this.

HIV is a smart ass virus. I pray we can beat it.