'Cautious interest' in Londoner's HIV cure

News that a British man might have recovered from an HIV infection is being looked at with cautious interest by two Maltese experts.

Both infectious diseases consultant Charles Mallia Azzopardi and Philip Carabot, the doctor in charge of the Genitourinary (GU) Clinic at Boffa Hospital, said sufferers should not raise their hopes too much.

They pointed out that if it was confirmed that 25-year-old Andrew Stimpson got rid of the disease, this would be the exception rather than the norm.

Mr Stimpson, from London, claimed his body has rid itself of the virus. He had tested positive for HIV in August 2002 but tests 14 months later proved negative.

However, the two Maltese doctors warned that not enough information was known about this case.

"We hope it is true and tests will throw light on an eventual cure," Dr Mallia Azzopardi said.

"If it is true, it is a very interesting and exciting thing. But it has not yet been confirmed, and there are a lot of questions about it," Dr Carabot added. He said that although it was a very interesting development, these were still early days. "We cannot draw any conclusions," he insisted.

Moreover, Dr Carabot said, even if it is confirmed that Mr Stimpson got rid of the virus, this would probably be an isolated incident and other HIV sufferers should not raise their hopes that the same will happen to them. If Mr Stimpson truly got rid of the HIV virus he probably has some unique make-up, which could be studied further in the hope of developing a new approach to treating the virus.

Dr Mallia Azzopardi pointed out that things on the research front had remained unchanged for a few years, with no cure known. However, he said, the condition has been managed very effectively over the years.

Dr Carabot agreed, saying that several advances in treatment have been made. However, he stressed, the world was "nowhere near a cure".

He said that unfortunately complacency with regard to the virus had settled in, with people returning to unsafe sex practices. "People seem less afraid of the virus and it looks like they are mistaking the advances in treatment for a cure. We need to wake up again and realise that this is a potential killer disease."

Dr Mallia Azzopardi said there have been cases of people contracting HIV after a single, unprotected sexual encounter.

On a positive note, there was big interest in the disease, not only from a humanitarian but also from a financial aspect and research was still ongoing.

"I am optimistic that at some point a cure will be found. However, we do not know when this will be; it might happen in a year or in a decade," he said.

At the moment 95 patients with HIV attend a clinic at St Luke's Hospital.