Mon 14 Nov 2005

Scot, 25, first to shake off HIV

Key points

• Andrew Stimpson was diagnosed as HIV-positive in August 2002
• 14 months later tests indicated that the virus had gone
• At present Mr Stimpson has declined to undertake further tests

Key quote

"This appears to be a highly unusual case and without further tests it really is impossible to draw any conclusions for people living with HIV." - Deborah Jack, chief executive of the National AIDS Trust

Story in full

A SCOTTISH 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 have urged him to come forward for medical research to help the quest to find a cure for HIV, which causes AIDS.

Mr Stimpson, from Largs, Ayrshire, said: "I can't help wondering if I hold the cure for AIDS. It is scary and confusing, but it makes me feel very special."

He added: "I have no idea how I got rid of the virus. I was just taking daily supplements to keep myself as healthy as possible so as not to get full-blown AIDS."

Mr Stimpson, who lives in London with his 44-year-old HIV-positive partner, Juan Gomez, was told he had the virus in August 2002.

More than a year later, and baffled by his continuing good health, doctors at Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust tested him again.

The results came back negative and Mr Stimpson began legal action against the trust, convinced there had been a mistake with the original diagnosis. But an extensive investigation, including DNA testing on his blood samples, has confirmed all the results.

NHS lawyers wrote to Mr Stimpson on 10 October this year, urging him to contact doctors about his "exceptional and medically remarkable" recovery.

"I can confirm that he has a positive and a negative test," a hospital spokeswoman said yesterday.

"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. We urge him, for the sake of himself and the HIV community, to come in and get tested."

However, those working with AIDS patients urged caution. Deborah Jack, chief executive of the National AIDS Trust, said: "This appears to be a highly unusual case and without further tests it really is impossible to draw any conclusions for people living with HIV."

Roy Kilpatrick, chief executive of voluntary organisation HIV Scotland, said the story had raised a lot of questions and would require further investigation.

"There is no scientific precedent for it," he said. "This case requires a huge amount of study and for Mr Stimpson to be in regular contact with medical experts and scientists."

There are an estimated 3,000 HIV-positive people in Scotland - and at least as many again who do not know they have the virus.

A spokeswoman for the Terence Higgins Trust said that although there had been unconfirmed reports of HIV-positive "recoveries" in Africa, it was completely unheard of in the UK. The African cases are believed to be the result of inaccurate tests.

"HIV tests, like many diagnostic tests, aren't 100 per cent accurate," she said. "They are extremely rare, but you do sometimes get false positive or negative results."

A deadly legacy

AIDS, or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, was responsible for 3.5 million deaths worldwide last year.

It comes about as a result of the immune system being depleted because of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV is transmitted when there is direct contact between a mucus membrane and a bodily fluid, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid or breast milk.

There is no known cure for AIDS, although some complications can be prevented or delayed.