Another Man Cured of HIV, Researchers Say
|
Click to Listen Now
|
A 53-year-old German man is believed to have been cured of HIV.
Researchers referred to him as “the Dusseldorf patient” to withold his identity, and is the fifth person in the world to be cured of the virus.
He reportedly has “no detectable virus” since not taking his medication four years ago.
“It’s really cure, and not just, you know, long term remission,” said Dr. Bjorn-Erik Ole Jensen, who presented details of the case in a new publication in “Nature Medicine.”
“This obviously positive symbol makes hope, but there’s a lot of work to do.”
What it means
This patient is only the fifth person cured of HIV, representing a small population which recieved a stem cell transplant which is often given to cancer patients, replacing a person’s immune system, in turn curing the infection.
The big picture
HIV was long considred a lifelong infection and millions have died from it. Modern medication has prolonged the lives of those infected.
