4 March 2013 – The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) today welcomed the news that a baby treated in the United States with antiretroviral drugs during the first months of her life appears to be functionally cured of the disease.
“This news gives us great hope that a cure for HIV in children is possible and could bring us one step closer to an AIDS-free generation,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “This also underscores the need for research and innovation especially in the area of early diagnostics.”
According to researchers, the mother was living with HIV at the time of the baby’s birth and had not received antiretroviral medication or prenatal care. The child was born prematurely in July 2010 in the state of Mississippi and due to the high risk of exposure to HIV, received a triple therapy regimen of antiretroviral drugs 30 hours after her birth and continued treatment until she was 18 months of age.