OXFORD, Miss. – When doctors from the University of Mississippi medical centre, United States (U.S.), announced on March 2, 2013 that a baby had been ‘functionally cured’ of Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV), the world hailed the news as a historical medical breakthrough.
The baby- famously known as the ‘Mississippi baby’- was born with HIV and treated with aggressive antiretroviral drugs 30 hours after birth. Now, more than two years old, doctors confirm that the baby has not taken any medication since the age of 18 months and tests show no sign of re-active HIV (detectable viral load).
From the time that this extraordinary news was announced scientists and researchers have been busy trying to understand how the ‘Mississippi baby’ case could advance future research in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Read the entire story.