A nine-year-old infected with HIV at birth has spent most of their life without needing any treatment, say doctors in South Africa. The child, whose identity is being protected, was given a burst of treatment shortly after birth. They have since been off drugs for eight-and-a-half years without symptoms or signs of active virus. Most people need treatment every day to prevent HIV destroying the immune system and causing AIDS. Understanding how the child is protected could lead to new drugs or a vaccine for stopping HIV.
South African child ‘virtually cured’ of HIV
