No one is safe until everyone is safe.xc2xa0The UN Refugee Agency

The stigmatization of people in South Africa with HIV has likely led to the Omicron variant state medical researchers in a Nature Study say.

People worried about their jobs, being beaten up or killed, and losing family and friends over their diagnosis are less likely to seek treatment. All over the world, particularly in South Africa, where the most significant number of people with HIV resides ( estimates are thatxc2xa0two out of three worldwide cases HIV cases), most of which are not taking anti-virals that can suppress the virus. People on anti-virals are slightly less susceptible than people that are fully vaccinated.xc2xa0

The variant sweeping across the world hasxc2xa0xe2x80x9c50 mutations, of whichxc2xa0at least 30Trusted Sourcexc2xa0are in the spike protein that the virus uses to gain entry to host cells. These mutations may affect how the variantxc2xa0behave trustedxc2xa0Source, spreads, and the severity of the disease it causesxe2x80x9d.