Baby cured of HIV infection, doctors claim
This Sunday’s second reading assures us that “whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away.” After early intensive treatment with antiviral drugs, a baby . . .
This Sunday’s second reading assures us that “whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away.” Something new has apparently occurred when after early intensive treatment with antiviral drugs a baby born with HIV two years ago in rural Mississippi has been cured, doctors announced Sunday.
The startling development, while still being analyzed, could change how infected newborns are treated and sharply reduce the number of children living around the world with the virus that causes AIDS.
The child was treated aggressively with antiretroviral drugs starting around 30 hours after birth, something that is not usually done. If further study shows this process works in other babies, it will almost certainly be recommended globally. The United Nations estimates that 330,000 babies were newly infected in 2011, the most recent year for which there is data, and that more than three million children globally are living with HIV.
There may be something different about babies’ immune systems that made the cure possible, said Dr. Joseph McCune of the University of California, San Francisco. One hypothesis is that the drugs killed off the virus before it could establish a hidden reservoir in the baby. One reason people cannot be cured now is that the virus hides in a dormant state, out of reach of existing drugs. When drug therapy is stopped, the virus can emerge from hiding.
Homily hint: A “seamless garment” ethics of life speaks of protecting life “from womb to tomb.” Certainly ensuring that all pregnant mothers have adequate and affordable prenatal care comes into play in such an ethics. Are families in your community able to receive the care they need? If not, might members of the faith community advocate on their behalf?
The startling development, while still being analyzed, could change how infected newborns are treated and sharply reduce the number of children living around the world with the virus that causes AIDS.
The child was treated aggressively with antiretroviral drugs starting around 30 hours after birth, something that is not usually done. If further study shows this process works in other babies, it will almost certainly be recommended globally. The United Nations estimates that 330,000 babies were newly infected in 2011, the most recent year for which there is data, and that more than three million children globally are living with HIV.
There may be something different about babies’ immune systems that made the cure possible, said Dr. Joseph McCune of the University of California, San Francisco. One hypothesis is that the drugs killed off the virus before it could establish a hidden reservoir in the baby. One reason people cannot be cured now is that the virus hides in a dormant state, out of reach of existing drugs. When drug therapy is stopped, the virus can emerge from hiding.
Homily hint: A “seamless garment” ethics of life speaks of protecting life “from womb to tomb.” Certainly ensuring that all pregnant mothers have adequate and affordable prenatal care comes into play in such an ethics. Are families in your community able to receive the care they need? If not, might members of the faith community advocate on their behalf?
Sources: Articles by Andre Pollack and Donald G. McNeil, Jr. for the
New York Times and Ron Winslow for the Wall Street Journal