Many people blame the policies of the former South Africa President, Thabo Mbeki, for the widespread AIDS epidemic in the country. Mbeki often disputed the link between HIV and AIDS and was against the widespread distribution of antiretroviral medications. Instead he encouraged HIV-positive people to eat garlic and beet roots, and to drink lemon juice to deter HIV. People believe that Mbeki’s attitudes and actions could have contributed to as many as 330,000 early deaths.

President Zuma, who was the Vice President to Mbeki, is trying to lengthen the gap between his and his predecessor’s policies. South Africa offers anti-retroviral (ARV) treatments to 700,000 HIV patients, over double the 216,000 patients from last year. At roughly $1,500 a year for each treatment it can get a bit pricey. Fortunately, foreign donors have often provided treatments free of charge, and the US ambassador to South Africa has announced that the United States will contribute another $120 million for next year’s AIDS treatment and research.

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According to the CDC, everyone ages 13 to 64 should do an HIV test at least once. People who have had more than one partner since their last STD test, and people who’s partner has had more than one partner should get tested regularly. Also at higher risk are men who have sex with men (MSM) and people who already have an STD. These people should also get tested at least once a year.

Women should get an annual Pap test beginning when they are 21-years of age, or earlier if they are sexually active. The Pap test is a screening tool used by doctors to detect cancerous changes of the cervix, which is a common result of the common human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV usually does not show any symptoms; however, it can lead to genital warts in both men and women. Unfortunately there is no screening test for HPV in men. Men who think they have symptoms of HPV should see someone about a physical exam.

In addition to HPV, the CDC suggests that sexually active women under 25 should get tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea at least once a year. Regular screening is also recommended for men who have sex with men, older women who have had multiple partners, and pregnant women.

Syphilis rates reached a record low in year 2000; however, they have been increasing since causing the CDC to suggest syphilis screening for individuals who feel they are at risk.

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French researchers have identified a new human immunodeficiency virus, the first derived from gorillas, a report said Monday.

The three previous HIV variants came from chimpanzees. The new findings indicate that gorillas, in addition to chimpanzees, are likely sources of HIV, the researchers concluded in a report published in the weekly Nature Medicine journal.

The new virus, called RBF 168, was detected in a 62-year-old woman who moved to Paris, France, from the western Africa nation of Cameroon, the report says. She tested positive for HIV in 2004, and researchers led by Jean-Christophe Plantier identified the virus as being closely related to a recently discovered simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV).

The new gorilla virus “has many of the biological properties necessary for human infection,” the report says.

“The human case described here does not seem to be an isolated incident, as before coming to Paris the subject had lived in the semiurban area of Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, and reported no contact with apes or bush meat,” the researchers said.

That would indicate that the woman contracted the virus from another human.

The significance of the latest findings is difficult to determine without more information, said Robert C. Gallo, who co-discovered HIV in 1984.

“It’s yet to be known,” Gallo said. “It could be zero. … Let’s see a more full report on this individual and let’s see wider testing.”

Even if the new variant proves lethal, it’s not likely to increase AIDS infections, said Gallo, director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. There are so many HIV variations, he said, that one more is not likely to make a difference.

The new virus is difficult to detect by conventional tests because it is not closely related to the other three HIV variants.

“This demonstrates that HIV evolution is an ongoing process,” co-researcher David Robertson of the University of Manchester said in a release. “The virus can jump from species to species, from primate to primate, and that includes us; pathogens have been with us for millions of years and routinely switch host species.”

HIV can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, which attacks the body’s immune system, giving rise to lethal infections. Patients diagnosed with HIV can take medications to delay or stop HIV from developing into AIDS. There are 33 million confirmed cases of AIDS worldwide.

The unnamed woman has no signs of AIDS and remains untreated, Nature Medicine said.

The most likely explanation for the emergence of the new virus is gorilla-to-human transmission, though researchers say they cannot rule out the possibility that the chimpanzee SIV gave rise to the new strain “either indirectly by transmission to gorillas and then to humans or directly by transmission to humans and also to gorillas.”

Researchers said they don’t know how widespread the virus is among humans.

“The human prevalence of this new lineage remains to be determined,” the report says, adding that “it could be circulating unnoticed in Cameroon or elsewhere.”

Western Central Africa bears close watching, the researchers suggest.

“In conclusion, our findings indicate that gorillas, in addition to chimpanzees, are likely sources of HIV-1,” the report states. “The discovery of this novel HIV-1 lineage highlights the continuing need to watch closely for the emergence of new HIV variants, particularly in western central Africa, the origin of all existing HIV-1 groups.”

Co-researcher Robertson noted that the new virus may not be restricted to Africa.

“It also highlights how human mobility can rapidly transfer a virus from one geographical location to another as has been dramatically evident with the recent emergence of swine flu,” he said.

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