Mississippi Toddler Thought To Be Cured Of HIV Isn’t
According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, the little Mississippi girl who was born to an HIV-positive mother and who was declared cured of the disease is now diagnosed with HIV.
Anthony S. Fauci, director of the NIAID, said the situation is a tragic turn of events for the child, involved medical staff and the research community. The development is a reminder that researchers still have a long way to go in learning about HIV and where the body hides itself in the body. Fauci said the National Institutes of Health is dedicated in finding a cure for HIV.
The child, 4, was once treated with antiretroviral drugs, but was no longer taking them. Researchers found the girl and tested her, only to find that she didn’t have detectable HIV. However, a test result at a recent checkup found that she was indeed HIV positive and treatment with the drugs began once again.
Chief of Infectious Diseases at Brigham & Woman’s Hospital Daniel Kuritzskes said there was so much enthusiasm about the “cure”. It’s a challenge, he said, to actually say someone who had the virus is cured of it. Kuritzskes said it means better testing is necessary to see if the virus is actually hiding and if it’ll return.
Kuritzskes said the one good news was that she went years with no detectable HIV level so it’s possible to put HIV in remission like cancer, using a combination of drugs designed to kill the virus along with new therapies to improve the immune system.
New studies using infants to replicate the scenario were planned. However, Kuritzskes, who is in participation with one of them, said no changes will be necessary because the first step is locating HIV positive children and treating them. Doctors will determine whether or not to stop their medication and see what happens.
Kuritzskes said there is time for this latest data to hit and come up with another plan of attack. He said time allows them to determine if there are any better tests that can be used before halting treatment in another child. Kuritzskes said no one should rush absolute decisions not to do this type of treatment again. It’s now just a wait and see game, he said.
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