Experts AIDS cure for years not in sight

Aids experts: healing still not in sight for years

07/21/2014

There is sobering news for the approximately 35 million people who are infected with the HI virus worldwide: Despite great advances in medicine, there is no sign of recovery for years to come. This was communicated at the current World AIDS Conference.

Healing is not in sight despite great progress
For around 35 million people who are infected with the HI virus worldwide, there is a sobering message from Australia: For years, a cure, despite great progress, in medicine is not in sight. According to a dpa message, Aids expert Steven Deeks from the University of California said on Monday at the World AIDS Conference in Melbourne: „A cure for HIV-infected people around the world? That will take many, many years.“ Around 12,000 researchers, experts and activists from around 200 countries attend the conference.

Herber setback for the researchers
Hardly a week before the opening of the world's largest AIDS conference, the researchers experienced a major setback: the Mississippi baby, believed to be cured by illness, was suddenly found to have HIV in the blood after 27 months without medication and no virus detection. As the „National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases“ (NIAID) recently reported a detectable HIV level in the girl's blood during a routine checkup at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. This finding was confirmed by another viral load blood test 72 hours later. Nevertheless, conference chair Françoise Barré-Sinoussi emphasized that research, regardless of this setback, is making great progress. She says: „There is no reason not to be optimistic.“ (Ad)

Picture credits: Gerd Altmann