Plagues,
Pestilences and Diseases
Highly Contagious AIDS-Like Disease Spreading in China
By Chen Yilian
Epoch Times Staff
Last Updated: Apr 7, 2011
In a small hotel across from the Beijing Center for Disease
Control and Prevention, a reporter from New Express Daily, dressed
in an isolation suit, interviewed a dozen “unusual” patients from
different areas of China. Their symptoms are painful and
debilitating, and AIDS-like, but repeated tests for HIV have come
up negative.
Lin Jun, one of the patients interviewed in the March 24 New
Express Daily report, said he used to be chubby, but now he is
skin and bones, and his joints have become all deformed.
Lin is referred to in the group as “big brother” for his kindness
and giving fellow patients hope when they feel hopeless, with some
having considered suicide.
In 2008 Lin’s mother received a blood transfusion at a hospital.
Afterwards, she experienced frequent night sweats, numb limbs,
aches all over, creaking joints, rashes on her hands, and weight
loss.
In May of that year, Lin accidentally became infected through
contact with his mother’s blood. Fourteen days later, he fell ill
with swollen lymph nodes on his neck, sore knees that made
clicking sounds, and pain all over his body. He also started
vomiting after every meal, and the left side of his face swelled
up. In half a year, his weight dropped from 82 kilograms (181 lbs)
to 52 kilograms (115 lbs).
Three months later, his wife and child developed the same
symptoms.
Lin said he went to every major hospital in Shanghai, but could
not get a definite diagnosis. He has taken the HIV test eight
times, and each time the test turned out negative.
Then he found an Internet blog called “The Negative Group,” which
he learned stands for “HIV negative.” He realized that writing on
this blog were all people like himself, with the same kinds of
symptoms, desperate to find a cure.
Several Chinese media have recently reported that the Department
of Health of Guangdong Province has confirmed that people in
Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong have fallen ill after being
infected with an unknown virus. The patients think they have AIDS,
but they test negative for HIV.
Guangdong has organized clinical experts, epidemiologists and
psychologists to work together on these cases. The Health Ministry
has also selected six provinces with more patients, including
Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Hunan, Jiangsu and Guangdong, to
conduct epidemiological studies, but there are no results yet, the
reports said.
In most of the 30 cases investigated by New Express Daily for its
March 24 report, people said their relatives and friends are also
infected. Most of the 30 patients were infected through sexual
contact. Some experts diagnosed them as having AIDS phobia.
However, the disease seems to be highly contagious and can spread
by contact via any bodily fluid—through kissing, shared utensils,
sweat, and even protected sex. Once infected, the immune system
appears to be attacked, which results in a decrease of white blood
cells and the body’s ability to defend against infectious disease
and foreign materials.
In the past, official health agencies have only conducted HIV
tests on these patients and have not checked for other, similarly
pathological viruses. With HIV results coming up negative, many
patients then stopped taking protective measures with their
relatives. Subsequently, all their relatives and friends were
infected, many have said.
One infected man told The Epoch Times that the disease is highly
infectious and hard to prevent. His wife and two-year-old child
both appear to have it. The child has lip and skin blood spots, he
said.
A retired officer in his 40’s told The Epoch Times for a previous
June 16, 2010 report that he had been infected with a disease with
similar symptoms in 2009, at a get-together at a friend’s house.
“I thought it was just a cold at the time, so I still participated
in all kind of gatherings. Consequently, over 100 of my comrades
in the army, relatives and friends were infected by me,” he said.