Posted on 02/25/2005 7:39:06 AM PST by Callahan
BOSTON - The New York man who sparked fears of a powerful new strain of HIV had drug-fueled, unprotected sex with more than 100 men in the months before his diagnosis, a top researcher said yesterday.
Dr. David Ho of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in Manhattan will unveil today a case study of the unidentified man, who his team believes may harbor a mutant strain of the deadly virus.
Skeptical AIDS researchers from around the world believe the case is isolated and not the beginning of a new epidemic.
In a preview of the study, Ho said the new strain is resistant to 19 of 20 drugs used to fight the HIV virus and becomes full-blown AIDS in months, not years. The development led city health officials to send out a dire warning earlier this month.
"We don't know if this is an isolated case or if there are more cases out there," Ho told the Daily News.
The victim, who's in his mid-40s, participated in wild orgies fueled by crystal meth before becoming sick, Ho said.
City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said yesterday health workers have been "working to identify [the man's] sexual partners, and urge them to be tested."
But he declined to say how many of those partners they'd been able to reach.
Despite the fears of a superbug, other experts have pointed out that rapid progression of HIV is not new, nor is resistance to multiple drugs.
Instead of being a new strain, the virus could have rapidly developed into full-blown AIDS because of something unique to the patient, said Dr. Douglas Richman of University of California at San Diego.
But even officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have acknowledged the case is alarming.
Firing squad.
I read this on the drugereport this morning. I tell you, the choices people make can really come back to haunt you. So sad. These people are crying out for help!!
I agree. And as a nation we will spend billions on this......
Oh, but the important thing is whether this creep found personal fulfillment. /sarcasm
I am GROSSED OUT [Yeachh....]
Odd that they wouldn't say how many partners they have located. Could it be one or none?
He apparently wanted to go out "with a bang".
Isn't this how the original AIDS spread around to begin with?
The "experts" are going out of their way to spin this in a not-so-negative light. Are they afraid that there's an AIDS redux in the works and they might have to do the right thing this time around, i.e. quarantine the infected? Decisions, decisions...
It's way past time to invoke the "Castro Cure" which identifies those infected with HIV and quaranties them.
"It's Super-HIV Man! Wasting away faster than a speeding bullet..."
God is not mocked.
How do you even locate guys he had sex with at crystal methane orgies. I can't imagine he even has any idea who most of them were.
You don't get it. They want to be cool... Being responsible is a real bummer. -sarcasm
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.