Patient beats HIV in world first

By Sue Dunlevy and wiresNovember 14, 2005

A BRITISH man is believed to have become the first person in the world to beat HIV.

Andrew Stimpson, 25, was diagnosed as HIV positive in August, 2002. However, tests 14 months later showed the virus had completely gone from his body, despite taking no medication to combat it.

His doctors are adamant there were no mix-ups with his tests and the sandwich maker will now offer his body for medical research to help doctors in their quest to find a cure for HIV, which causes AIDS.

"I remember after the repeat tests my doctor came into the room saying, 'You've cured yourself. This is unbelievable. You're fantastic'," he told the News of the World.

"It's so amazing to think that one day I was staring death in the face and now I am waving it goodbye."

Mr Stimpson was all the more surprised given that on hearing he had tested positive, he gave up safe sex with his HIV-positive boyfriend, 44-year-old Juan Gomez.

On hearing of the negative tests, he considered suing his hospital over what he thought must have been bungled earlier tests.

"There had been no error in labelling or testing of the samples," the hospital wrote to him.

"The fact that you have recovered from a positive antibody result to a negative result is exceptional and medically remarkable. I understand the (hospital authority) trust have written to you highlighting your importance to other HIV patients."

Mr Stimpson said: "I will do anything I can if it will help find a cure for HIV."

Australian Federation of Aids Organisations president Ian Rankin said insights gained from Mr Stimpson's case could help millions of HIV sufferers.

Mr Stimpson's case was extremely rare, the only confirmed case when over 40 million people worldwide were infected with HIV, he said.

"We need to be careful that rare events like this don't affect everyone's understanding of how seriously HIV infection affects people," he said.

Mr Stimpson, from the Scottish coast west of Glasgow, went for tests in May 2002 after feeling weak and feverish. They came back negative. However, tests in August that year found an exceptionally low level of HIV antibodies.

Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust, who carried out the initial tests, said Mr Stimpson has so far declined to undergo further tests with them.

A spokeswoman confirmed Mr Stimpson had had a positive and a negative test for the virus, but stopped short of saying he had been cured.

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