Treat HTLV-1 virus or risk it spreading widely, doctor who discovered it warns

Robert Gallo says prevalence in Indigenous communities is ‘extraordinary’ and if he lived in Australia he would be testedSign up to receive the top stories in Australia every day at noonOne of the world ’s most eminent scientists says Australia needs to speed up testing andtreatment for the lethal human immune virus, HTLV-1, or risk it spreading more widely, and admits he and others could have done more up to now.Dr Robert Gallo from the University of Maryland school of medicine said: “If I was in Australia and this virus was around, it’s not going to stay only in the Aboriginal community, and sooner or later I’d sure want to be tested. That’s a no brainer. Testing the population to know who’s infected, that’s a no brainer.”Continue reading...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - May 4, 2018 Category: Science Authors: Lorena Allam Indigenous affairs editor Tags: HTLV-1 virus Indigenous Australians Science Society Australia news Source Type: news