11/14/2005
British Tab Claims: Man CURED of HIV
The British tabloid News of the World claimed over the weekend that a 25-year-old Scottish man who was diagnosed HIV positive in August 2002 has taken tests that show the virus has been completely eradicated from his body.
"It's so amazing to think that one day I was staring death in the face and now I am waving it goodbye," he told News of the World.
The paper alleges that Andrew Stimpson, who caught the virus from his boyfriend Juan, recently tested negative, baffling doctors. The paper reports that he wants to help doctors in the fight against AIDS by offering himself for research.
Hospital representatives talked to National Nine News over the weekend, offering a more cautious approach. Spokeswoman: "I can confirm that he has a positive and a negative test. 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. We urge him, for the sake of himself and the HIV community, to come in and get tested."
I'm First in the World to be Cured of HIV [news of the world]
Briton World's First to Beat HIV: Reports [national nine news]
The man who might hold the secret to defeating AIDS [independent]
Posted 8:34 AM EST by Andy Towle in Current Affairs | Permalink
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Why on bloody earth would he decline to go in for further testing? If he has some physiological quality that has indeed allowed him to beat HIV, he could be a key to the development of a vaccine or cure. Either something fishy is going on here or this guy is a selfish jackass.
Posted by: Michael W. | Nov 14, 2005 9:12:56 AM
So this was reported in the News of the World which over the years has plumbed the depths of "creative" reporting - setting new lows for even British tabloids... somehow, I will find it within me to get on with my life...
Posted by: Bob | Nov 14, 2005 9:23:17 AM
I wouldn't be surprised to find that the reason he's not gone in for testing is related to this quote, from The Guardian's coverage
"He had feared the positive results might have been wrong and had sought compensation."
He's in the publicity for the money. Like he tried to get into the compensation game for the money. And everyone's falling for it.
Posted by: Alan F | Nov 14, 2005 9:52:38 AM
He's bloody ugly, like all Britqueers. I'm surprised he's even HAD sex.
Posted by: Larry | Nov 14, 2005 12:47:43 PM
Wow. At least with ugly on the outside you can make a judgement just by looking, rather than having to wait for someone to start typing on their keyboard, I suppose.
Posted by: Alan F | Nov 14, 2005 2:32:26 PM
This makes no sense. Even if you managed to clear all the HIV from your body, you should still have the antibodies to it and hence test positive. I had hep A many years ago and got over it, but I still test positive for hep-A antibodies. Sounds much more likely that he never actually was positive in the first place. I notice that the report doesn't say anything about whether they tested for the viral RNA directly, and if so, what results they got. His reluctance to participate in further testing is further evidence that something's fishy here.
Posted by: Glenn | Nov 14, 2005 2:32:29 PM
The most likely reason for the reversal is a false positive test to begin with. There was only the one test. And false positives do happen. Marginal Revolution (www.marginalrevolution.com) has some decent analysis.
Posted by: jfbiii | Nov 14, 2005 10:33:51 PM
Where is the article that he never had it? The link brings me here again..
Posted by: Deschanel | Nov 18, 2005 4:27:44 PM
Governmental medical offices never admit to anything, right or wrong. There are many people in this world who still firmly beleive the disease is and was created by Governmental labs to cull the population. If the parts of the population which suffer most are those parts not of the far right wing (supposed christians) so much the better. This man is not the first to have had the "disease" and then test negative for it. Reports, not in the aproved press, have surfaced before this about such people. However each has been "further tested" by (once again) government labs and the results given as uncertain or questionable with blame lain upon some poor lab tech. Think for yourself, how often has your government lied? How many times have the lies been covered up or another issue driven to the forefront of the "official press" causing people to forget the real questions? Far too many people today, especially Americans, have short term recall. Stop for a moment and use your mind and think. Where are the lies coming from? and Why does my government not want me to know?
Posted by: Bear | Nov 20, 2005 5:13:10 PM