Herpes linked to rare diabetes form

An emerging type 2 diabetes variant could be triggered by the herpes virus, according to reports from France this week. The unusual form of diabetes found in sub-Saharan Africa develops very quickly, and is becoming more common in various African countries.
The identification of a link with the herpes virus could be a step in the right direction to finding a suitable drug treatment. The diabetes type, although type 2, requires sufferers to take insulin injections until the condition stabilises.
Jean-Francois Gautier, who led the study, reportedly commented: “We are looking for something that could explain why these people start the disease so acutely like people with type 1 diabetes . We think this virus may convert the type 2 diabetes into an atypical form.”
The findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.