The detailed case was revealed of a two-year-old child in Mississippi who was diagnosed with HIV at birth and was immediately put on antiretroviral therapy as treatment. At 18 months of age the child had stopped the treatment but was then brought back into care at around 23 months old. Despite having been off the treatment for 5 months the child was found not to have any detectable traces of the virus.
A number of highly sensitive tests had to be performed to be sure that HIV had indeed been eradicated from the system. Confirmation of the cure was made possible by a grant the Foundation awarded to the primary researchers involved with the case. The grant had allowed the team the opportunity to establish a research collaboratory to explore and document potential paediatric HIV cure cases.
It was because of this collaboratory that the researchers were able to get started immediately and carry out the necessary tests to prove that the child had been cured. The tests confirmed beyond any doubt that even though both the mother and child were HIV positive when the child was born, there are no signs of HIV infection in the child that can be detected today.
This new breakthrough offers a very bright future for the fight against HIV as it shows that the disease can be cured. The nature of drugs already being used as a treatment and they fact that they are treat could make this an easy and cost-effective way of getting rid of HIV for good.