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   Friday, February 2, 2007   
   Health officials warn of new HIV threat found in King County   
   By Warren King   
      
   Seattle Times medical reporter   
      
   Four men in King County have been diagnosed with a strain of HIV that is   
   extremely hard to   
   treat, and health officials are concerned it could spread further.   
      
   At least two types of HIV drugs don't work against the strain, and another   
   type has limited   
   effectiveness, officials from Public Health - Seattle & King County said   
   Thursday.   
      
   "It's conceivable there can be more infections, and the gay community is at   
   highest risk," said   
   Dr. Bob Wood, the HIV/AIDS program director for Public Health.   
      
   All the men were diagnosed with the strain as soon as they tested positive for   
   the virus -   
   unlike other HIV patients who develop drug resistance over time, often from   
   taking medications   
   inconsistently, Wood said. But there is no evidence the strain is rapidly   
   spreading.   
      
   The four known cases were found over the course of more than a year. These   
   were the only such   
   cases reported in the state.   
      
   Wood said all of the infected men are gay and have had multiple partners, most   
   anonymous. They   
   also used methamphetamine, which tends to increase sexual activity.   
      
   Public-health officials have found some of the patients' partners, and so far   
   none has the   
   resistant strain. But many others have not been found because the men had   
   anonymous sexual   
   encounters, Wood said.   
      
   No one yet knows how easily this particular strain may be transmitted to   
   others. There is no   
   evidence it was spread to Seattle from another city.   
      
   Still, Wood said the cases should serve as an early warning because "they show   
   there is some   
   ongoing transmission."   
      
   "We're very concerned about gay men becoming more complacent and not using   
   condoms," said Wood.   
   Studies in Seattle and other cities have verified that gay men in recent years   
   have been   
   engaging in more unsafe sex.   
      
   Physicians don't believe the new strain will cause the infected patients to   
   progress more   
   rapidly to full-blown AIDS. But once they do have AIDS, finding the right   
   combination of drugs   
   to control the virus could be difficult.   
      
   "If it's not controlled at all, they do poorly," said Dr. Bob Harrington,   
   director of the   
   Harborview Medical Center's Madison Clinic, which treats HIV patients.   
      
   Harrington said treating patients who are resistant to several types of drugs   
   could cost more   
   than twice the typical $15,000 a year that it costs to treat other HIV   
   patients.   
      
   About 350 to 400 new cases of HIV infection are reported in King County each   
   year. About 8,000   
   county residents are living with the virus, including those with AIDS.   
      
   Public Health plans to distribute fliers in gay bars and bathhouses warning of   
   the new strain.   
   And Wood said physicians are being asked to test all newly diagnosed HIV   
   patients for drug   
   resistance and report them to the health department.   
      
   Health officials urge gay men who have unprotected sex with multiple partners,   
   use   
   methamphetamines or have another sexually transmitted disease to get tested   
   for HIV every three   
   months.   
      
      
   Warren King: 206-464-2247 or wking@seattletimes.com   
      
   seattletimes.com home   
      
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