Doctors now have convincing evidence that they put HIV into remission, hopefully for good, in a Mississippi baby born with the AIDS virus — a medical first that is prompting a new look at how hard and fast such cases should be treated. The case was reported earlier this year but some doctors were skeptical that the baby was really infected rather than testing positive because of exposure to virus in the mom's blood. The new report, published online Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine, makes clear that the girl, now 3, was infected in the womb. She was treated unusually aggressively and shows no active infection despite stopping AIDS medicines 18 months ago.
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After the baby was cured, doctors wondered whether she ever actually had the disease
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Researchers were able to prove that the baby actually was infected while still in the womb
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She was treated unusually aggressively and shows no active infection despite stopping AIDS medicines 18 months ago
In the upcoming study, doctors plan to give @placeholder medicines for at least two years and watch for signs of remission before suspending treatment and seeing whether a remission results.
The @placeholder case 'did open people's eyes further' about a possible cure, Luzuriaga said.