Scientists optimistic of AIDS cure for some

Two other, smaller studies using antiretrovirals at a very early stage of infection, before viral levels build up, have excited hopes of a cure.

One involved a baby in the US state of Mississippi apparently cleared of the virus after being given aggressive antiretroviral treatment within 30 hours of birth.

The other is a small French study of 14 HIV patients, known as the VISCONTI cohort, who started on drugs within 10 weeks of infection and were able to stop the daily treatment after three years, staying healthy.

For Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, a 2008 Nobel co-recipient for the HIV discovery, a functional cure is the most likely option — with patients in permanent remission after stopping treatment.

“The international scientific community agrees that it will likely not be a single drug, but a combination of molecules and drugs with a vaccine that will allow this remission,” she said.

An estimated 34 million people are infected with HIV worldwide, and about 1.8 million die every year.

Fauci would not be drawn on the timing for a vaccine for people most at risk, saying only: “It’s not going to be 30 years, but it’s not going to be a year.”

Article Appeared @http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/05/22/scientists-optimistic-of-aids-cure-for-some/

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