Scientists discover first new strain of HIV since 2000

A new strain of HIV — the first since 2000 — was identified using advanced DNA sequencing. The strain is under the group of the disease responsible for the vast majority of human infections, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The big picture: While the new strain has infected only three people, who live in the Democratic Republic of Congo, these findings, via HIV test maker Abbott Laboratories, could kick off a larger conversation on how to classify new viral strains that could surface from the wider implementation of advanced DNA sequencing technology.

Go deeper: The growing HIV epidemic among young men in the Philippines