The authorities pass it off as a phobia, but the patients die
Forty-nine-year-old Lin Feng from Shanghai suddenly fell ill in May 2008. He said that he suddenly felt a sharp pain inside, ringing in his ears, convulsive twitching of muscles and cracking in the joints. In addition, he had a symptom of "flying flies" (dark dots in front of his eyes). And also during the examination, he was found to have the disappearance of the most important immune organ - the thymus gland.
Lin went to the hospital for an examination, where he was diagnosed with liver disease, hepatitis B, herpetic gastritis (inflammation of the stomach caused by the herpes virus). He vomited after every meal. After 6 months, his weight decreased from 82 kg to 52 kg.
After 18 months, Lin reported that his internal organs became stiff, he had difficulty moving around due to joint pain, his skin became fibrous, and he experienced lymphatic and muscle pain. The skin remained sticky, even after numerous showers.
"I feel like I'm dying," Lin said. He was desperate.
Ping An, forty, a former soldier, suddenly fell ill after meeting with his former colleagues in 2009.
"I have never had such a severe headache and dizziness. Then dermatitis and fungus on the skin began. The lymph nodes in his throat were swollen. I was hospitalized 5 times, but I did not get better, " he said.
Ping also suffered from acute joint pain, and said some of his internal organs had become stiff. "I'm in pain. My bones ache and crack. The tongue turned white." He also reported that his heart was enlarged and his skin looked purplish. He suffered a heart attack and "muscle cramps all over his body."
"It's a miracle I'm still alive," he said.
Like these two, hundreds of Chinese residents have reported symptoms similar to those of AIDS, when the immune system fails, but tests do not confirm HIV infection. Our correspondents found many forums on the Internet, with dozens to hundreds of participants who reported suffering from the same symptoms.
Many said they had developed symptoms after sexual intercourse.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control (CDC) rejects the patients ' claims and classifies their illness as an "HIV phobia."
According to the CDC, because they are afraid of contracting AIDS, they have developed psychological problems that have led to the appearance of AIDS symptoms.
Regardless of the cause, more and more people are reporting that they have contracted a mysterious disease similar to AIDS, but have not received effective treatment.