Smallpox demise linked to spread of HIV infection

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**Gwar!**

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8686750.stm

The worldwide eradication of smallpox may, inadvertently, have helped spread HIV infection, scientists believe.

Experts say the vaccine used to wipe out smallpox offered some protection against the Aids virus and, now it is no longer used, HIV has flourished.

The US investigators said trials indicated the smallpox jab interferes with how well HIV multiplies.

But they say in the journal BMC Immunology it is too early to recommend smallpox vaccine for fighting HIV.

Kill no cure

Lead researcher Dr Raymond Weinstein, from Virginia's George Mason University, said: "There have been several proposed explanations for the rapid spread of HIV in Africa, including wars, the reuse of unsterilised needles and the contamination of early batches of polio vaccine.

"However, all of these have been either disproved or do not sufficiently explain the behaviour of the HIV pandemic."

Dr Weinstein and his colleagues believe immunisation against smallpox may go some way to explain the recent rises in HIV prevalence.

Smallpox immunisation was gradually withdrawn from the 1950s to the 1970s, following the worldwide eradication of the disease, and HIV has been spreading exponentially since then, they say.

Now, only scientists and medical professionals working with smallpox are vaccinated.

To test if the events may be linked, the researchers looked at the white blood cells taken from people recently immunised against smallpox and tested how they responded to HIV.

They found significantly lower replication rates of HIV in blood cells from vaccinated individuals, compared with those from unvaccinated controls.

The smallpox vaccine appeared to cut HIV replication five-fold.

Immune boost

The researchers believe vaccination may offer some protection against HIV by producing long-term alterations in the immune system, possibly including the expression of a receptor called CCR5 on the surface of white blood cells, which is exploited by the smallpox virus and HIV.

Jason Warriner, clinical director for the Terrence Higgins Trust, said: "It's impossible to say whether the withdrawal of the smallpox vaccine contributed to the initial explosion of HIV cases worldwide, but it is a plausible explanation.

"This is an interesting piece of research, and not just as a history lesson. Anything that gives us greater understanding of how the virus replicates is another step on the road towards a vaccine and, one day, a cure.

"Further studies into the role receptor cells play are needed, and even then any discoveries are likely to be just one part of the solution.

"Until we find a way to eradicate the virus from the body, the focus should remain on stopping it being passed on in the first place."

Cruel Irony much?

**Soup and a roll**

That is the best misleading headline I have seen all day. It was the feasibility of smallpox eradication that lead to the massive scale of vaccination. The small pox vaccine has done nothing to further the spread HIV (other than maybe to mask the potential problem) and has been implicated in lessening HIV reproduction.

**Platuan4th**

Good thing Small Pox is gone, too.

It can lead to psychic Japanese girls with TFS mutating the virus into a vidja tape that can kill or impregnate you with a clone of herself after getting raped by an infected doctor and thrown down a well.

**Ketara**

Platuan4th wrote:Good thing Small Pox is gone, too.

It can lead to psychic Japanese girls with TFS mutating the virus into a vidja tape that can kill or impregnate you with a clone of herself after getting raped by an infected doctor and thrown down a well.

O_o

Sorry, come again?

**Soladrin**

I think he read to many ero-manga's

**filbert**

Platuan4th wrote:Good thing Small Pox is gone, too.

It can lead to psychic Japanese girls with TFS mutating the virus into a vidja tape that can kill or impregnate you with a clone of herself after getting raped by an infected doctor and thrown down a well.

Team Foundation Server?

**Commander Endova**

Platuan4th wrote:Good thing Small Pox is gone, too.

It can lead to psychic Japanese girls with TFS mutating the virus into a vidja tape that can kill or impregnate you with a clone of herself after getting raped by an infected doctor and thrown down a well.

The Ring?

**Platuan4th**

Commander Endova wrote:
Platuan4th wrote:Good thing Small Pox is gone, too.

It can lead to psychic Japanese girls with TFS mutating the virus into a vidja tape that can kill or impregnate you with a clone of herself after getting raped by an infected doctor and thrown down a well.

The Ring?

Ding ding ding!

Good to know someone else actually read the book.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

filbert wrote:

Team Foundation Server?

Testicular Feminization Syndrome.

**Commander Endova**

Didn't read the book or watch the movie, actually.

Pretty much as soon as you said video tape that can kill it clicked. I know that much from watching Scary Movie. Although to my understanding its cursed. I'm gonna guess that the original book had some sort of pseudo-science virus explanation?

**Platuan4th**

Commander Endova wrote:Didn't read the book or watch the movie, actually.

Pretty much as soon as you said video tape that can kill it clicked. I know that much from watching Scary Movie. Although to my understanding its cursed. I'm gonna guess that the original book had some sort of pseudo-science virus explanation?

The second book(Spiral) did. Ring(the first book) was more about the paranormal aspect, while Spiral was more about the science and Loop(the third book) more about the effects on the world.

The movies(except either the Korean version or the Television version) changed how things happened and why she was in the well, although Rasen(the Japanese version original sequel that was released at the same time so you could see both movie subsequently) was actually very close to the book. In fact, it's probably one of the best translations I've seen of book to movie accuracy wise.

**rowan341**

Well I was going to contribute something to the original topic along the lines of "how much influence are the daily mail having these days eh? ridiculous isn't it." but the topic has changes and I don't really want to know what into