Early Treatment or Immunity? Child Born With HIV Now Free of Infection

[Guest Nicole]

A 9-year-old child born with the AIDS virus was treated briefly with antiretroviral medication as a baby and is now reported to be free of the infection. The rare but stunning case of wiping out the virus that causes AIDS for years after treatment holds promise for all patients with HIV, infectious disease experts said Monday.

The case of the South African child, whose gender and identity were kept secret, was one of the highlights of the opening day at the international AIDS conference in Paris. Eight-and-a-half years after treatment, the child shows no signs of infection, adding another piece to the puzzle of eliminating human immunodeficiency virus.

“The fact that you can go so long without a rebound shows that it is possible to suppress the virus. It gives us hope that we may be able to do the same in more than just children,” Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health told NBC News in an interview from Paris, where he is attending the conference.

The current standard of care is to start HIV-infected babies on antiretroviral drugs, known as ART, as early as their diagnosis and treat them for the rest of their lives. Doctors have long known that while HIV-treatment is life-saving in these children, there are concerns about the side-effects and health impacts of lifelong therapy with these powerful drugs.

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/early-treatment-or-immunity-child-born-hiv-now-free-infection-n786126