Check out the FAQ,Terms of Service & Disclaimers by clicking the
link. Please register
to be able to post. By viewing this site you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Acknowledge our Disclaimers.
FluTrackers.com Inc. does not provide medical advice. Information on this web site is collected from various internet resources, and the FluTrackers board of directors makes no warranty to the safety, efficacy, correctness or completeness of the information posted on this site by any author or poster.
The information collated here is for instructional and/or discussion purposes only and is NOT intended to diagnose or treat any disease, illness, or other medical condition. Every individual reader or poster should seek advice from their personal physician/healthcare practitioner before considering or using any interventions that are discussed on this website.
By continuing to access this website you agree to consult your personal physican before using any interventions posted on this website, and you agree to hold harmless FluTrackers.com Inc., the board of directors, the members, and all authors and posters for any effects from use of any medication, supplement, vitamin or other substance, device, intervention, etc. mentioned in posts on this website, or other internet venues referenced in posts on this website.
We are not asking for any donations. Do not donate to any entity who says they are raising funds for us.
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
China - Mystery disease in 6 provinces - HIV/AIDS ruled out - Epstein-Barr virus infection and reactive arthritis
The link below describes a similar illness in Japan, which they call "AIDS Neurosis". It is symptomatically very similar, and even includes mention of suicidal ideation. It was published in 1998.
This is from the Epoch Times, so take it with a large grain of salt. There are some obvious problems with the content here, but this is the first article that mentions explicit fatalities.
New AIDS-Like Disease Appears in China
State dismisses the disease as phobia, but patients are dying
By Chen Yilian & Wei Tuo
New Epoch Magazine Created: Jun 16, 2010 Last Updated: Jun 20, 2010 .
A man walks past banners in Beijing bearing a message calling upon people to help halt the spread of HIV/AIDS. China already has an AIDS problem, and now perhaps a 'negative-AIDS' problem. (Liu Jin/AFP/Getty Images) Lin Feng of Shanghai, 49, suddenly felt ill in May 2008, saying he suddenly felt his muscles twitching and had severe pain in his internal organs. His ears rang and his joints made a cracking sound. He also suffered from muscae volitantes (where one sees spots), and found that his thymus gland, a vital element of the immune system, had disappeared.
Lin checked himself into a hospital for examination and was diagnosed with liver failure, hepatitis B, and herpetic gastritis (inflammation of the stomach caused by the herpes virus). He vomited after each meal. In six months, his weight dropped from 181 to 115 pounds.
After 18 months, Lin said that his internal organs have hardened and he has difficulty walking as his joints crack in pain, his skin feels like fiber, he has lymphatic pain, and the muscles and fat tissues under his skin cause him pain. Even though he takes numerous showers, he said his skin feels sticky and oily no matter what.
“I feel I am dying,” he said. He said he has fallen into the depths of despair.
more..............
Last edited by sharon sanders; September 13, 2010, 10:30 AM.
Reason: shortened
A man walks past banners in Beijing bearing a message calling upon people to help halt the spread of HIV/AIDS. China already has an AIDS problem, and now perhaps a 'negative-AIDS' problem. (Liu Jin/AFP/Getty Images) Lin Feng of Shanghai, 49, suddenly felt ill in May 2008, saying he suddenly felt his muscles twitching and had severe pain in his internal organs. His ears rang and his joints made a cracking sound. He also suffered from muscae volitantes (where one sees spots), and found that his thymus gland, a vital element of the immune system, had disappeared.
In otherwise healthy adults, thymus has a reduced size than during childhood.
Unlike most other lymphoid structures, the thymus grows rapidly and attains its greatest size relative to the rest of the body during fetal life and the first years after birth. Thereafter, it continues to grow, but more slowly than the other organs. At the onset of puberty, the thymus begins a slow process of shrinking. This gradual diminution in size continues for the rest of the individual?s life.
There are a lot of things wrong with that article. I was a little reluctant to even post it, but I posted it to show this problem is ongoing. Just a quick summary of the obvious ones most apparent to me:
The article doesn't actually report that the thymus has shrunk, it says it has disappeared (where did it go?). There is a man who claims he has a heart attack every day. There is a man who has been diagnosed with hepatitis B, which is a known infectious disease, (and not an opportunistic infection either) but still thinks he has this unknown virus. The symptoms are all over the place, and look like they are due to several different causes. I don't even begin to know what it means to say that one's organs have "hardened", or what exactly a "cardiac tumor" is. How in the world could they know a child had contracted this disease in the womb - you can't test for it, and the child certainly couldn't report symptoms.
And the situation has been going on for at least 10 years, and according to this article the illness has an incubation period of as little as three days? Then the fact that this illness has not been reported (much) outside China does not serve to support a localized outbreak, as the article insists, but rather supports a flawed theory.
The main feature of HIV-1 infection is the unusually long period of asymptomatic illness followed by sub-clinical immunodeficiency. When the T-cell count descends below a certain level, patients develop a systemic immunodeficiency and body defense against common pathogens becomes impossible.
The result, if the patient doesn't receive antiretroviral therapy or the virus becomes resistant to one or more drugs, is the rapid course of illness toward death, because of disseminate and untreatable infections.
This is fatal outcome may be favorite by tubercolosis, especially when in presence of MDR- or XDR-TB or other drug resistant bacterial infections.
Thus an individual with laboratory negative results for HIV-1 claiming an undiagnosed illness 'like AIDS' should be aware of the fact that he/she should have been already fatally infected by other microbes as the lymphocyte count is directly linked with decay in immune response.
Before Its News,beforeitsnews,international,The Epoch Times
Highly Contagious AIDS-Like Disease Spreading in China
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 7:39
In a small hotel across from the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a reporter from New Express Daily, dressed in an isolation suit, interviewed a dozen ?unusual? patients from different areas of China. Their symptoms are painful and debilitating, and AIDS-like, but repeated tests for HIV have come up negative.
Lin Jun, one of the patients interviewed in the March 24 New Express Daily report, said he used to be pretty fat and quite chubby, but now he is skin and bones, and his joints have become all deformed.
Lin is referred to in the group as ?big brother? for his kindness and giving fellow patients hope when they feel hopeless, with some having considered suicide.
In 2008 Lin?s mother received a blood transfusion at a hospital. Afterwords, she experienced frequent night sweats, numb limbs, aches all over, creaking joints, rashes on her hands, and weight loss.
In May of that year, Lin accidentally became infected through contact with his mother?s blood. Fourteen days later, he fell ill with swollen lymph nodes on his neck, sore knees that made clicking sounds, and pain all over his body. He also started vomiting after every meal, and the left side of his face swelled up. In half a year, his weight dropped from 82 kilograms (181 lbs) to 52 kilograms (115 lbs).
Three months later, his wife and child developed the same symptoms.
Lin said he went to every major hospital in Shanghai, but could not get a definite diagnosis. He has taken the HIV test eight times, and each time the test turned out negative.
Then he found an Internet blog called ?The Negative Group,? which he learned stands for ?HIV negative.? He realized that writing on this blog were all people like himself, with the same kinds of symptoms, desperate to find a cure.
Several Chinese media have recently reported that the Department of Health of Guangdong Province has confirmed that people in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong have fallen ill after being infected with an unknown virus. The patients think they have AIDS, but they test negative for HIV.
Guangdong has organized clinical experts, epidemiologists and psychologists to work together on these cases. The Health Ministry has also selected six provinces with more patients, including Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Hunan, Jiangsu and Guangdong, to conduct epidemiological studies, but there are no results yet, the reports said.
In most of the 30 cases investigated by New Express Daily for its March 24 report, people said their relatives and friends are also infected. Most of the 30 patients were infected through sexual contact. Some experts diagnosed them as having AIDS phobia.
However, the disease seems to be highly contagious and can spread by contact via any bodily fluid?through kissing, shared utensils, sweat, and even protected sex. Once infected, the immune system appears to be attacked, which results in a decrease of white blood cells and the body?s ability to defend against infectious disease and foreign materials.
In the past, official health agencies have only conducted HIV tests on these patients and have not checked for other, similarly pathological viruses. With HIV results coming up negative, many patients then stopped taking protective measures with their relatives. Subsequently, all their relatives and friends were infected, many have said.
One infected man told The Epoch Times that the disease is highly infectious and hard to prevent. His wife and two-year-old child both appear to have it. The child has lip and skin blood spots, he said.
A retired officer in his 40?s told The Epoch Times for a previous June 16, 2010 report that he had been infected with a disease with similar symptoms in 2009, at a get-together at a friend?s house. ?I thought it was just a cold at the time, so I still participated in all kind of gatherings. Consequently, over 100 of my comrades in the army, relatives and friends were infected by me,? he said regretfully.
This is the original article translated from Chinese. Lots of case stories, but symptoms all over the place. Some of these patients may have other, known illnesses, but what is causing these reports remains unknown.
An "unknown virus" in China Communication (network screenshot)
"Unknown disease" spread the mainland began to investigate the six provinces
By March 28, 2011 Reuters (Associated Press Chen Yilian report) is a special disease spread in China, doctors detected the virus, the patient has a serious condition. Of these, the majority of people in high risk sexual behavior after the onset of symptoms, some experts that they are "fear of love disease", but the patient does not recognize. With the increasing number of patients, causing widespread concern in society and the media. Ministry of Health has started investigations six provinces and cities, the basic rule of AIDS experts, but remained open.
"Unknown virus" troubled experts
more at above link.
Last edited by sharon sanders; April 1, 2011, 01:51 PM.
Reason: shortened
Health Department of Guangdong people suffering from abnormal response to: Unknown virus non-HIV
At 08:10 on March 25, 2011
Source: Justice Network
Font Size: T | T
0 participants 0 comments Print Forward
Information Times (reporter Li Nannan) yesterday, media reports said a group of patients claiming to be dyed special "unknown virus", suspected to be infected with HIV, but HIV has repeatedly tested negative identification, the current Ministry of Health in Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang , Hunan, Jiangsu, Guangdong Province into six epidemiological investigation. In this regard, as included in the survey provinces, the Guangdong Provincial Health Department and CDC confirmed the case yesterday, and after more than a dozen of the "patients" were detected, the current basic rule out HIV infection, infectious diseases are temporarily unable to determine , but does not rule out psychological factors are responsible.
The basic rule of contracting AIDS
According to reports, these claims infected with "unknown virus" who generally have the same symptoms such as sweating, numbness hands and feet with very similar symptoms of HIV infection, but after many checks are still HIV negative, clinical reports also show that they are "No obvious organic disease" for the disease cast a mysterious shadow. The views of experts and scholars have different views of the disease, most experts have ruled out the infected with AIDS or HIV virus mutates to say, do not rule out that caused by psychological factors. In this regard, the Ministry of Health Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention has read the relevant person in charge of the "patient representative" and said from Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Hunan, Jiangsu, Guangdong Province, began six epidemiological investigation, analysis of specific causes.
In this regard, an interview with reporters yesterday, the Guangdong provincial health department, the relevant department official told reporters that they have received the Ministry of Health last month notice has been provided by the Ministry of Health list of surveys and monitoring of patients, but can not grasp a specific direction. The official also said the disease from the analysis of these people also do not see is the result of infectious diseases, mental illness, but infection may also be the case, just like Foxconn jumped to the same incident, other people will by psychological suggestion, we now do not rule out a cardiac cause reactions.
Free monitoring of all patients
Reporter then interviewed the Guangdong Provincial Disease Prevention and Control of AIDS Prevention & Treatment responsible person, the experts said, mainly in Guangzhou in Guangdong and Shenzhen to monitor patients investigated, of which the list provided by the Ministry of Health of Guangdong total of 7 people, but the other Several patients have asked their application testing, they have organized a clinical experts, epidemiologists, psychological specialist consultation, etc., the only out of the test results showed that all patients are HIV negative, while the other results have yet to come further confirmation, it is reported, for all monitoring of these patients are free of charge. "We will, after consultation summary of the results to the Ministry of Health, and then re-confirmed by the unification ministry." The expert said.
"Unknown virus" Details
Symptoms: general have the same symptoms as night sweats, numbness in hands and feet with HIV infection and other very similar symptoms, but after many checks are still HIV negative, clinical reports also show that they are "no obvious organic disease."
Diagnosis: Most experts have ruled out the infected with AIDS or HIV virus mutates to say, do not rule out that caused by psychological factors.
Number: Guangdong total of 7 people, but there are several other entry requirements of the patient's own testing.
Get the latest breaking news, in-depth reporting, and insightful analysis on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, and world events | The Epoch Times is a trusted source for real news and information that is free from influence and bias.
New AIDS-Like Disease Appears in ChinaState dismisses the disease as phobia, but patients are dying
By Chen Yilian & Wei Tuo
New Epoch Magazine Created: Jun 16, 2010 Last Updated: Mar 31, 2011 .
A man walks past banners in Beijing bearing a message calling upon people to help halt the spread of HIV/AIDS. China already has an AIDS problem, and now perhaps a 'negative-AIDS' problem. (Liu Jin/AFP/Getty Images) Lin Feng of Shanghai, 49, suddenly felt ill in May 2008, saying he suddenly felt his muscles twitching and had severe pain in his internal organs. His ears rang and his joints made a cracking sound. He also suffered from muscae volitantes (where one sees spots), and found that his thymus gland, a vital element of the immune system, had disappeared.
Lin checked himself into a hospital for examination and was diagnosed with liver failure, hepatitis B, and herpetic gastritis (inflammation of the stomach caused by the herpes virus). [That sure sounds like a known diagnosis to me. - alert] He vomited after each meal. In six months, his weight dropped from 181 to 115 pounds.
After 18 months, Lin said that his internal organs have hardened and he has difficulty walking as his joints crack in pain, his skin feels like fiber, he has lymphatic pain, and the muscles and fat tissues under his skin cause him pain. Even though he takes numerous showers, he said his skin feels sticky and oily no matter what.
“I feel I am dying,” he said. He said he has fallen into the depths of despair
Provincial health officer, said the disease can not see from the infectious diseases
Express reporter Chen Yang
"What have we, exactly? An unknown virus?" Some people who consider themselves ill ask in pain, and they happened to have given rise to concern, the Ministry of Health stepped in and started in Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Hunan, Jiangsu, Guangdong and other provinces and cities in six surveys (Express yesterday launched the "strange disease under the sun" report, expressed concern.) Yesterday a reporter from the Guangdong provincial health department was informed that the investigation has been carried out since last week, Guangdong has more than a dozen people's physical examination and the epidemiological investigation, has not yet had the results, but the basic rule of AIDS, these Survey information will be handed over this month the Ministry of Health.
Recently reported the basic rule out HIV information
Guangdong health department said yesterday that the relevant person in charge, the Guangdong provincial health department and relevant departments attach great importance to the matter, since last month Jiedao notice of the Ministry of Health, has been carried out in Guangdong, "unknown causes" of disease investigation and control groups However, "There is no sense of direction."
The responsible person said that the Ministry of Health had announced the preliminary findings of mainly psychogenic reaction, hysteria caused by psychological factors, but the results were "patients" of the question, because they always feel symptoms. "Judging from the current investigation, are eliminated with AIDS, because many times tested negative for HIV."
For the question whether the disease is contagious, the official said, from the perspective of these groups of diseases, infectious diseases can not see, "but even if mental illness is contagious, just like Foxconn, like jumping event Other people will be psychological impact. "
In addition, the specific charge of this investigation in Guangdong Province Lin Peng, director of the CDC AIDS, also said the expert group is currently composed of disease control departments are still continuing.Investigations carried out since last week has been more than a dozen people across the province currently accepted medical examination, epidemiological investigation and psychological investigations, some of which is the initiative to come, and that some of their health sector under the link on the list . "What is the disease in the end, really hard to say, a comprehensive analysis." Lin Peng said they will follow the Ministry of Health requirements, gathered at the end of this month's survey data will be handed over to the Ministry of Health of the Ministry of Health.
If the public can enjoy free checking symptoms
Express yesterday, "the strange disease under the sun" after the report out to the streets, there was a call to reporters Yangxing initiative reflects the public that he had come across some strange woman, and soon the lymphatic problems, particularly the spirit of impatience, those "unknown reasons" "patient" suffering from a strange disease which symptoms he has. "I had suspected the disease was out of the community was engaged in harmful, so the alarm, but police will not be accepted." The people said he felt helpless, I do not know how to do. In this regard, Lin Peng said that he recommended that the public can go to the hospital for tests to see whether the identified cause; if difficult to detect, can be to the provincial AIDS by the CDC for further testing. For other patients with similar symptoms, he can go to the provincial CDC to do that check and clear the check on the survey is no charge. The public can also call the provincial CDC Tel 020-84457336 first turn AIDS counseling.
Warm Tips
Test items: chest spiral CT, electrocardiogram, abdominal B-, HIV viral load, CD4/CD8 (immune cell index) detection, regular facial features, the conventional surgical ... ...
Departments to conduct investigations in Guangdong: Guangdong CDC, Guangzhou and Shenzhen Center for Disease Control CDC
AIDS without HIV is not HIV-related immunodeficiency.
Laboratory tests are the best way (almost 100% sure) to find out whether an individual is infected with HIV-1/2 or not.
Decreasing in leucocytes (white-blood cells) is a feature of a multitude of conditions: infectious diseases (viral or bacterial), radiations exposures, chemicals, food intake for example.
The Acquired Immuno deficiency Syndrome is the name universally accepted since mid '80 of the final phase of HIV-1/2 virus infection, when the lymphocytes T CD4 count decreases to less than 200/500 cells for microliter of blood.
HIV-1/2 viruses route of transmission is well recognized and established after more than twenty-five years after the beginning of the global pandemic:
1) through unprotected penetrative sexual intercourses;
2) through re-used syringes especially among illicit intravenous drugs users;
3) through infected blood and blood-derivatives products not tested for the virus and transfused to patients (extremely rare at this time, but frequent in mid '80 and in some underdeveloped countries);
4) through infected organ transplantation (rare).
No other route of transmission were recognized, ie through kisses, common use among family members of kitchen dishes, toilets and in general via droplets or other body fluids (except for sperm and blood).
Immune deficiency however arises in people even without HIV but with other conditions, such as cancer chemotherapy, viral or bacterial infections, during treatment with certain drugs etc.
It cannot be excluded that a novel pathogen may have caused a transient or chronic immune deficiency in some Chinese people, but the relation to Human Immunodeficiency virus is not confirmed at this point.
Chemicals in water or food may also cause damage to bone marrow and thus a reduction in white-blood cells count.
Other viruses were in the past linked to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (for example HTLV-1, a retrovirus (the same family of HIV), but no definitive conclusions are so far reached.
The fact that all people with this condition (the Chinese immune depression) were tested HIV negative is the almost unconditional evidence for a disease not linked with HIV.
Ironorehopper, I agree with you fully, and I think the Chinese officials do too. The one thing that is certain is that this illness is certainly not caused by HIV.
What is far from clear is the cause. The individuals who are infected seem to think they have been infected with a previously unknown virus. There are a lot of problems with that theory, though. Many of them seem to have been diagnosed with other, known illnesses, such as cancer, heart disease, hepatitis B and C, etc. Others seem to have a condition closer to what might be considered chronic fatigue syndrome, whose cause is unknown. Some of these people seem to be reporting impossible or incoherent symptoms and may indeed have a mental illness instead, as Chinese officials suspect. The symptoms reported are as varied as one could imagine. Many of the "deaths" reported seem to be the result of suicides or heart attacks, not opportunistic infections.
Although many of these articles indicate that the patients think they have a contagious illness (and some of them might - the hepatitis patient for example is contagious), the epidemiology is a bit wrong. One of the lessons of SARS is that such an illness would rapidly pile up in the hospitals. With the amount of medical care that some of these patients are getting, they would be infecting large numbers of HCW, not just their family contacts. The articles seem to indicate this has been going on for years. I think we would have a much larger problem by now if this were due to a novel pathogen with the properties described by some of the patients.
My opinion, at this point, is it looks like this is an inadvertent cobbling together of several different factors, including known diseases, mental conditions, and possibly toxic exposures as well.
By clinical, laboratory, epidemiological and psychological experts to conduct a comprehensive consultation and examination
Yesterday, there were media reports a group of special --- they had suspected their HIV infection, it was even detected in a few months dozens of HIV, all test results are shown to be negative, thus claiming to be "negative for infection"; then, they suspect are infected with a kind of modern medicine is still not cognitive, infectious "unknown virus", but clinical reports have shown that they are "no organic disease." Reporter learned from the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control, the Centre has organized experts to Guangdong Province dozen "special patients" conduct a comprehensive inspection, the current HIV screening in addition, other results have not come out.
Yesterday, Guangdong Province, the head of the CDC HIV Prevention Lin Peng interview revealed that Guangdong Province had a week ago, according to the requirements of Weisheng Bu, organization of clinical specialists, laboratory experts, epidemiologists and psychologists, on These "special patients" in all aspects of consultation and examination. Present, except for HIV test results come out, other results have not yet come out, all the results from the analysis will be summarized to Weisheng Bu. At present, all patients were negative for HIV testing. According to reports, participation in testing patients in Guangdong Province, in addition to Weisheng Bu 7 in the list, there are several of their own to join, mainly in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Guangdong health department said yesterday that the relevant person in charge of the media coverage of the population is "old cases" the. Previously published preliminary findings Weisheng Bu is the main cardiac response, but also they had a psychological counseling, some people's problems are solved, but some still question the results of patients.
The responsible person said, from the current situation, basically ruled out AIDS. Symptoms from their view, can not see is the infectious disease. The official said that, of course, does not rule out the existence of unknown causes. (Xinhua Chen Hui)
Archive Number 20110404.1051
Published Date 04-APR-2011
Subject PRO/EDR> Undiagnosed debilitating illness - China: RFI
UNDIAGNOSED DEBILITATING ILLNESS - CHINA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
************************************************** ***************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Sat 2 Apr 2011
Source: The Epoch Times [abbreviated & edited]
<http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/china/highly-contagious-aids-like-disease-spreading-in-china-53864.html>
A highly contagious AIDS [acquired immunodeficiency syndrome]-like
disease is spreading in China. However, HIV [human immunodeficiency
virus] tests come up negative. In a small hotel across from the
Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a reporter from New
Express Daily, dressed in an isolation suit, interviewed a dozen
"unusual" patients from different areas of China. Their symptoms are
painful and debilitating and AIDS-like, but repeated tests for HIV
have come up negative.
One of the patients interviewed in the 24 Mar 2011 issue of New
Express Daily report, said he used to be chubby, but now he is skin
and bones, and his joints have become all deformed. In 2008, his
mother received a blood transfusion at a hospital. Afterwards, she
experienced frequent night sweats, numb limbs, aches all over,
creaking joints, rashes on her hands, and weight loss.
In May of that year [2008], this patient accidentally became infected
through contact with his mother's blood. 14 days later, he fell ill
with swollen lymph nodes on his neck, sore knees that made clicking
sounds, and pain all over his body. He also started vomiting after
every meal, and the left side of his face swelled up. In half a year,
his weight dropped from 82 kilograms (181 lbs) to 52 kilograms (115
lbs). Three months later, his wife and child developed the same
symptoms.
He said he went to every major hospital in Shanghai but could not get
a definite diagnosis. He has taken the HIV test 8 times, and each time
the test turned out negative. Then he found an Internet blog called
"The Negative Group," which he learned stands for "HIV negative." He
realized that people like himself were all writing on this blog with
the same kinds of symptoms, desperate to find a cure.
Several Chinese media have recently reported that the Department of
Health of Guangdong Province has confirmed that people in Beijing,
Shanghai, and Guangdong have fallen ill after being infected with an
unknown virus. The patients think they have AIDS, but they test
negative for HIV.
Guangdong has organized clinical experts, epidemiologists and
psychologists to work together on these cases. The Health Ministry has
also selected 6 provinces with more patients, including Beijing,
Shanghai, Zhejiang, Hunan, Jiangsu and Guangdong, to conduct
epidemiological studies, but there are no results yet, the reports
said.
In most of the 30 cases investigated by New Express Daily for its 24
Mar 2011 report, people said their relatives and friends are also
infected. Most of the 30 patients were infected through sexual
contact. Some experts diagnosed them as having AIDS phobia.
However, the disease seems to be highly contagious and can spread by
contact via any bodily fluid, through kissing, shared utensils, sweat,
and even protected sex. Once infected, the immune system appears to be
attacked, which results in a decrease of white blood cells and the
body's ability to defend against infectious disease and foreign
materials.
In the past, official health agencies have only conducted HIV tests
on these patients and have not checked for other, similarly
pathological viruses. With HIV results coming up negative, many
patients then stopped taking protective measures with their relatives.
Subsequently, all their relatives and friends were infected, many have
said.
[byline: Chen Yilian]
--
communicated by:
an anonymous contributor
[The description of the signs and symptoms of this illness (or group
of illnesses) is not given in sufficient detail to suggest a precise
identification. The illness, if indeed it is a single entity, appears
to be widespread in China and transmitted by both blood transfusion
and sexual routes, but is not HIV-related. It may be an immune
deficiency syndrome, but evidence is lacking. ProMED-mail would
welcome further information on this condition from any informed
source.
It should be noted that, according to Wikipedia, The Epoch Times,
which is the source of this report, was founded in 1999 by supporters
of the Falun Gong spiritual discipline and is heavily critical of the
Chinese Communist Party and policies of the Chinese government. -
Mod.CP]
Comment