2024-07-25 14:55:04
The medical community brings a wind of hope to people living with HIV. Three patients in remission spoke about their treatment at the International AIDS Conference in Munich, which ended on Friday. Experts, researchers and activists come together to discuss the evolution of the HIV epidemic.
Only seven people in the world are considered truly cured after receiving stem cell transplants, a painful and dangerous procedure suitable only for people with HIV and aggressive forms of leukemia.
“There is no specific moment when you say “you are healed”, it takes time“, he added.
Mark Frank, 55—”Patients from Dusseldorf” – also underwent a series of tests to ensure the treatment was working.
These patients had blood cancer and benefited from stem cell transplants that completely renewed their immune systems, but the surgery carried a 10% risk of death.
Hold on to this mortality rate”huge“As well as other possible complications, Mark Frank admits he can’t”Recommend to anyone”.
He even judged, in retrospect, that he “Would rather take one (anti-HIV) pill every day“Instead of going through the arduous transplant process.
‘A very rare case’
Earlier this month, doctors reported a seventh possible cure for HIV: a 60-year-old German man who no longer has any traces of the virus in his body.
Nickname “lnew patient from berlin” He received a bone marrow transplant for leukemia in 2015 and stopped taking antiretroviral drugs at the end of 2018.
Researchers note that he now appears to be cured of HIV and cancer.
Sharon Lewin, president of the International AIDS Society, ruled on the cases “really exciting” But it is acknowledged that this therapy only works for a very small number of people.
This therapy is only effective in curing “7 out of 40 million people living with HIV“, recalled Sharon Lewin. She thought these “very rare case” yes”Research sources of hope”.
All seven patients except one received stem cells from a donor who contained a rare mutation in a gene called CCR5 that blocks HIV from entering cells. These donors inherited two copies of the mutated gene—one from each parent.
“new patient in berlin“Being the first to receive stem cells from a donor who inherited only a single copy, a more common configuration, raises hope for a wider range of potential donors.
Paul Edmonds, a man in his sixties, was the third patient to speak of his experience during the meeting, admitting that a stem cell transplant “Not suitable for everyone as it carries many risks”.
However, his experience and that of other patients brought “hope of possible cure“: “NWe are living proof that it can happen“, He said.
According to the World Health Organization, there were 1.3 million new HIV infections last year, while 39 million people were infected with the virus.
The first “Berlin patient”, Timothy Ray Brown, was the first person to be declared cured of HIV in 2008.
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