A New Strain Of HIV Has Been Discovered
Scientists and Abbott Laboratories have discovered a new strand of HIV. Per CNN, “the strain is a part of the Group M version of HIV-1, the same family of virus subtypes to blame for the global HIV pandemic.”
CNN explains that HIV has various strains and subtypes, but this is the first one discovered in over 19 years. They also say that, “It is important to know what strains of the virus are circulating to ensure that tests used to detect the disease are effective.”
Mary Rodger, an Abbott Laboratories scientist, goes to more detail, saying, “It can be a real challenge for diagnostic tests,” She adds that while testing blood, they have to always look for new strains so “we can accurately detect it, no matter where it happens to be in the world.”
The good news with this discovery is that not a lot of people are infected with this strain. Dr. Anthony Fauci confirms this, saying, “There’s no reason to panic or even to worry about it a little bit.”
