Yinzibing

Yinzibing (阴滋病) is an unverified disease. AIDS-like symptoms were reported by people who claimed that they had caught such disease, but tested negative for HIV.

Authorities claim people had anxiety and stress that could have triggered an auto-immune disease.

Etymology
The term was coined from "yīnxìng (negative)", "àizī (AIDS)", and "bìng (disease)". It was also referred to as "Yinxing Aizibing" (阴性艾滋病, HIV-negative AIDS).

History
In 2011, rumors of an AIDS-like disease were spreading in Mainland China, which captured the attention of the media of China and Hong Kong and spread across the internet. It was reported that people with "yinzibing" had AIDS-like symptoms such as hypodermic hemorrhage, weak immune system, swollen lymph glands, etc. An investigation followed. The Chinese Ministry of Health conducted an epidemiological investigation.

The Disease Prevention and Control Bureau of China stated that no new virus was found and that yinzibing was a mental health problem.

A study of patients claiming to suffer from this disorder, conducted in 2013, concluded that this disease could not be completely explained by mental disorder. However, a 2019 follow-up study suggested the symptoms were explainable as chronic fatigue syndrome, an illness usually precipitated by a viral infection or stress.

The Chinese CDC shipped blood samples overseas for additional analysis. That analysis found no new virus nor infection.