A more virulent and contagious variant of HIV discovered in the Netherlands

An international team of researchers discovered a new variant of HIV, the virus that triggers AIDS, more virulent and contagious, according to a new study published in the journal Science.

In the article, researchers from the Big Data Institute of the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom, warn that the new variant has already been circulating in the Netherlands for decades.

Scientists identified the new V-B variant in more than 100 individuals. These people showed very high viral loads, a rapid decline in CD4 T cells, and increased infectivity (ability to spread).

Before starting antiretroviral treatment, which is still effective for this variant, people with a BV infection had a viral load between 3.5 and 5.5 times higher.

The HIV epidemic has claimed the lives of some 33 million people since the 1980s. In the country, some 87,000 people live with HIV and about 70,000 are receiving treatment.

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