US doctors make ‘call to action’ after second child appears to have been ‘cured’ of HIV

After a second child in the US appears to have been “cured” of HIV through intensive early treatment, doctors have made a “call to action” to learn more about the incidents.

According to reports, antiretroviral drugs were given to the baby in California four hours after birth. The child, unidentified, now nine months old, has said to be HIV negative.

A Mississippi two-year-old was last year reported to have been given a “functional cure” after being administered with the drugs in the early stages after being born.

“This is a call to action for us to mobilize and be able to learn from these cases,” Johns Hopkins University paediatrics specialist Dr Deborah Persaud said at a Boston medical conference.

The nine-month-old is still receiving the antiretroviral drugs, but Dr Persaud said there was no trace of the virus in the child’s blood or tissue.

“Really the only way we can prove that we have accomplished remission in these kids is by taking them off treatment and that’s not without risk,” Dr Persaud continued.

• Oct 11

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