HIV positive baby is cured in Mississippi

A baby girl, born in Mississippi has been cured of HIV, by the early treatment given to the baby in the first 30 hours of her life.

Doctors discovered that the mother to the baby was HIV positive just before delivery, so administered large doses of three separate drugs shortly after birth, in a bid to control virus in the baby. The child was given antiretroviral drugs for the first 15 months of her life. However the mother decided to stop giving her child the drugs for a year until health officials interfered and restarted the treatment.

Tests confirmed that 30 months into her life, the child is considered to be clear of the HIV infection. Doctors believe that the interference with the drugs was vital in the positive result of the girl being cured.

The story has made headlines across the globe and is considered to be a great advance in the treatment for babies with HIV positive mothers.

Another vivid development has gone unnoticed by media, which can stop children inheriting the virus from their mothers in the first place. This is probably for the reason that, the cure of a minor is more observable than a treatment to prevent an infection.

Whatever the reason, both advances have offered global hope to those who are infected with HIV that one day could be clear of the virus. This is an excellent example of how early detection has helped this HIV positive baby and shows the importance of testing for HIV in pregnancy.

This guest post was written by  Jessica Delaney, a communication student at Sheffield Hallam University.