Aids risk high in Africans

A genetic mutation that originally protected Africans from a virulent form of malaria now renders them 40 per cent more susceptible to HIV infections, offering a partial explanation for the disproportionate spread of the virus among Africans and African Americans, researchers said.

The mutation, however, has an unusual benefit. It also slows the progression of the disease, giving patients an extra two years of life, said Dr Sunil K. Ahuja, lead author of the paper in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.