53-year-old man becomes 5th person to be cured of HIV


Researchers have announced that a 53-year-old man in Germany has become the fifth person in history to be cured of HIV. The patient, known as "the Dusseldorf patient," received a stem cell transplant ten years ago and has not taken HIV medication in four years, according to ABC News.
While being the fifth person cured, the Dusseldorf patient is only the third person to be cured through a stem cell transplant. From the time of the procedure, the virus has not been detectable in his body. "It's really cure, and not just, you know, long-term remission," said Dr. Bjorn-Erik Ole Jensen who published the findings of the case. The first reported cure was in 2009.
Stem cell transplants are high-risk procedures that are normally reserved for cancer patients. The Dusseldorf patient was the same, diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a deadly form of blood cancer, just after beginning treatment for HIV, Sky News reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Over 35 million people currently live with HIV, but many cases are managed through medication, allowing them to live fairly normal lives. "Following our intensive research, we can now confirm that it is fundamentally possible to prevent the replication of HIV on a sustainable basis by combining two key methods," Jensen said referring to the anti-retroviral medications along with the transplants. "Further research is now needed into how this can be made possible outside the narrow set of framework conditions."
"Today, I am all the more proud of my worldwide team of doctors who succeeded in curing me of HIV - and at the same time, of course, of leukemia," the patient remarked.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.
-
The mounting tensions between Thailand and Cambodia
The Explainer Long-running border disputes are at a decade high, as protesters in Thailand demand the prime minister's resignation
-
The unravelling of 'trolls' paradise' Tattle Life
In the Spotlight Unmasking of founder sends shockwaves through toxic gossip forum
-
Sudoku medium: June 30, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Deadly fungus tied to a pharaoh's tomb may help fight cancer
Under the radar A once fearsome curse could be a blessing
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, change
Speed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Climate change can impact our gut health
Under the radar The gastrointestinal system is being gutted
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panel
speed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
Orthorexia nervosa: when clean eating goes too far
The Explainer Being healthy is fine, but obsessing over it is dangerous
-
Children's breakfast cereals are getting more unhealthy
Under the radar Your kids may be starting their day with more than a spoonful of sugar
-
The marvelous powers of mucus
The Explainer It's snot just a pesky cold symptom
-
'Wonder drug': the potential health benefits of creatine
The Explainer Popular fitness supplement shows promise in easing symptoms of everything from depression to menopause and could even help prevent Alzheimer's