DHAKA: Doctors say a Mississippi child they “functionally cured” of HIV through early, aggressive treatment still remain in remission, showing no signs of HIV infection.

In an update in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists led by Dr. Deborah Persaud of Johns Hopkins University report that seven months after publishing their initial findings on treating a HIV-positive newborn for 18 months may have led to prohibiting the growth of HIV reservoirs, according to the a Johns Hopkins University press release.

The now 3-year-old reportedly was in remission and showed no signs of HIV antibodies, suggesting the immune system no longer needed to defend itself from the virus. Doctors treated the prematurely-delivered, HIV-positive baby just 30 hours after she was born, and continued treatment for 18 months until the mother stopped bringing her in for care. But her recent checkup signals potential in early treatment resulting in long-term remission.

Source: Time.com
BDST: 1045 HRS, OCT 24, 2013
MR/RS/BSK