- HIV researcher Dr Peter Cherutich said, fortunately, the new variant responds to the current ARVs being used.
- He said Kenya identifies at least 90 per cent of all people living with HIV and has placed more than 90 per cent of them on treatment.
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Kenyans need not unduly panic over the new highly damaging HIV variant discovered in the Netherlands.
HIV researcher Dr Peter Cherutich said, fortunately, the new variant responds to the current ARVs.
He said Kenya identifies at least 90 per cent of all people living with HIV and has placed more than 90 per cent of them on treatment.
“For us in Kenya, we are lucky we have good infrastructure and testing which is about 90 per cent. We have very few people who are not diagnosed. The beauty of it is when one is put on treatment, the new strain responds,” he told the Star.
Scientists who reported the new VB variant (for virulent subtype B) said after starting treatment, individuals had similar immune system recovery and survival to individuals with other HIV variants.
However, they stressed that because VB variant causes a more rapid decline in immune system strength, it is critical that individuals are diagnosed early and start treatment as soon as possible.
Their report "A highly virulent variant of HIV-1 circulating in the Netherlands", was published last week in the journal Science.
“Testing is the thing. This means we’re able to pick any strain. We have a fairly robust surveillance system. We sequence our viruses regularly through Kemri and CDC and collaborate with universities abroad,” Dr Cherutich said.
Dr Cherutich is also a former head of the National Aids and STIs Control programme (Nascop) and in 2018 led the national household HIV survey known as the Kenya Population-based HIV Impact Assessment.
The VB variant was first identified in 17 HIV positive individuals from the BEEHIVE project, an ongoing study that collects samples from across Europe and Uganda.
Since 15 of these people came from the Netherlands, researchers analysed data from more Dutch people and identified an additional 92 individuals with the variant, bringing the total to 109.
By analysing patterns of genetic variation among the samples, they suppose that the VB variant first arose during the late 1980s and 1990s in the Netherlands and spread more quickly than other HIV variants during the 2000s. Its spread has been declining since around 2010.
Dr Cherutich explained it is possible that surveillance could have missed the variant for so many years.
“But for now two things are important. These are robust testing and surveillance. We must constantly sample and sequence HIV and see what's more transmissible and resistant to treatment,” he said.
He said mutation of viruses affects transmissibility and ability to cause mild or worse disease, progression to illness and death; and sensitivity to treatment.
In a statement, United Nations HIV body Unaids said the new variant does not represent a major public health threat but underscores the urgency of speeding up efforts to halt the HIV pandemic.
“Ten million people living with HIV worldwide are not yet on treatment, fuelling the continued spread of the virus and potential for further variants,” said Eamonn Murphy, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director.
“We urgently need to deploy cutting-edge medical innovations in ways that reach the communities most in need. Whether it’s HIV treatment or Covid-19 vaccines, inequalities in access are perpetuating pandemics in ways that harm us all,” he added in a statement.
-Edited by SKanyara