Baby 'cured' of HIV tests positive for the virus
A 'serious setback' in the fight against Aids, but researchers believe 'durable remission' still possible

A child thought to have been cured of the HIV virus is no longer in remission, US health officials say.
Recent tests conducted on the four-year old detected that the virus had returned in what the New York Times calls a "serious setback" to hopes of a cure for Aids.
The girl from Mississippi was treated with an aggressive three-drug cocktail as a new-born and repeated tests showed no sign of the HIV virus until now. Doctors say it unclear why the virus re-emerged.
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.
"Certainly, this is a disappointing turn of events for this young child, the medical staff involved in the child's care and the HIV/Aids research community", Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told Reuters.
Dr Hannah Gay, a paediatric HIV specialist who treated the girl as a baby described the news as a "punch to the gut".
Despite the result, Fauci believes the case is still important as it proves that early, aggressive treatment on babies stops the virus from replicating. It may be a way to induce "durable remission", as seen with cancer.
Only one adult is believed to have been 'cured' of HIV.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Timothy Ray Brown was given a bone marrow transplant in 2007 from a donor with a rare HIV-resistant gene. He soon tested negative for the HIV virus and has shown no signs of infection since then.
But the Mississippi baby "has become a reminder of how difficult HIV is to defeat and how distant a cure really is", says the BBC's health editor James Gallagher.
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime minister
In the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of Taiwan
In the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdown
IN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago