The rates of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1, or Htlv-1 has been increasing in Australia’s Northern Territory. It was discovered four decades ago however doctors and scientists didn’t pay much attention to it; due to the minimal amount of humans that have been infected by this virus. Doctors have now been raising awareness for this disease for the reason that the infection has been rapidly increasing. The increase has been about 40% in remote areas mostly with indigenous people. HTLV-1 is said to be HIV’s cousin, due to the similar ways they pass from human to human, by means of sexual interactions, breastfeeding and blood transfusion; therefore this disease is considered an STI. “The prevalence is off the charts” an Australian doctor, Dr. Robert Gallo, co-founder and director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, whose laboratory was the first to detect HTLV-1 in 1979 and publish his findings in the year of 1980.

This is ancient virus is said to have no cure or vaccines yet. Then again “nobody that I know of in the world has done anything about trying to treat this disease before,” said Gallo, who is also co-founder and scientific director of the Global Virus Network and chairs the network’s HTLV-1 Task Force. It is quite disappointing how we have just turned a blind eye on this virus without thinking what may happen to the future generations just because it wasn’t affecting people before.”There’s little to almost no vaccine efforts, outside of some Japanese research,” he said. “So prevention by vaccine is wide open for research.”  Its upsetting how we are just taking actions now because a lot has been affected but we didn’t mind the minority before who were suffering. Hopefully we now take precautionary measures and find a vaccine or cure for this.The virus is associated with various serious health problems as an example of this is the diseases of the nervous system and a lung-damaging condition called bronchiectasis, this also weakens the immune system.

Unfortunately, this disease was neglected when it was still a small scale infection. People are dying because of this disease and as another day passes one or more life might be the cause of our irresponsibility. It may have been ignored  because a few years after its discovery, HIV arose and doctors and scientists paid more attention to it because it was more efficient in transmitting.  What may have micro effect now may have a macro effect in humanity in the future.This is our wake up call to pay attention to everything no matter how big or small its effect is.

For more information visit:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/07/health/htlv-1-virus-australia-explainer/index.html