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"Briton says he’s cured of HIV"
The
Star (www.thestar.com.my)
(14/11/05)
Sub Head: Docs give cautious response to claim
LONDON: Doctors urged a British man to come forward for further tests
yesterday after he claimed to have become the first person in the world to
shake off the HIV virus.
Andrew Stimpson was diagnosed as HIV-positive in August 2002 but tests 14
months later showed the virus had completely disappeared from his body.
The 25-year-old, from Largs on Scotland's west coast, told two British
newspapers that he felt special and blessed to have been “cured” and pledged
to help medics in their fight against the condition, which usually leads to
AIDS.
“It's so amazing to think that one day I was staring death in the face and
now I am waving it goodbye,” Stimpson told the News of the World.
But doctors at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London who carried
out the initial tests on Stimpson's blood, were more cautious yesterday,
stopping short of saying he had been given the all-clear.
“I can confirm that he has a positive and a negative test,” said a
spokesman.
“I can't confirm with you that he's shaken it off, that he's been cured.
“When we became aware of his HIV-negative result, we offered him further
tests to help us investigate and find an explanation. So far he has declined
to do so,” she said.
The spokesman added: “We urge him, for the sake of himself and the HIV
community, to come in and get tested.”
On hearing of the negative results, Stimpson had considered suing the
hospital for bungling the initial test.
But he received a letter from the hospital last month stating there was no
case to answer. An investigation had confirmed the blood in all the samples
was his and there were no mix-ups.
“Those tests are both accurate, the positive and a negative. They are
correct,” said the hospital spokesman.
The Mail on Sunday reported that in two previous cases of so-called
“spontaneous clearance”, it was impossible to prove that both the positive
and negative tests had come from the same person.
“I have no idea how I got rid of the virus,” he told the News of the World.
“I was just taking daily supplements to keep myself as healthy as possible
so as not to get full-blown AIDS.
“But maybe it's all down to some genetics in my immune system – so it's
important for me to help with research because it can be a big step forward
towards a cure for everyone.”
He told the Mail on Sunday: “I can't help wondering if I hold the cure for
AIDS. There are 34.9 million people with HIV and if I have something to
contribute, then I am willing and ready to help.”
Doctor George Kinghorn, an HIV specialist at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital
in Sheffield, described Stimpson's case as highly unusual. — AFP
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