An Analytical Look at the Cured Mississippi HIV Baby

In March 2013, news on the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) spread through science and the general media. Some people claim that this event is a necessary breakthrough to eradicate HIV (Young, "Researcher: Childcare"). This claim comes from HIV positive of young children, but now it is no longer HIV positive. Born in Mississippi, the baby received a strict combination of AIDS treatment within 30 hours of birth, known as antiretroviral therapy including azidothymidine (AZT) and other antiviral drugs (Persaud) 1)

In the absence of anti-retroviral therapy, we define "healing" in the HIV field as a lack of detectable virus. In order to measure this, the patient must give "rebound time" after treatment. In fact, this means that while taking antiretroviral medications the patient receives treatment, then removes them from all medications and monitors the recurrence of the virus. After discontinuation of antiretroviral therapy, "recovery" of HIV in typical HIV patients takes about 2 weeks, in some cases recovery may be very delayed, but it will still recover (Boston patients or Mississippi babies reference).

Regarding baby's health, there are many optimistic things. HIV positive pregnant women have 25% chance of infecting their babies with HIV without receiving appropriate HIV treatment. However, if you receive antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy and can not detect viral load, the risk of infecting infants with the virus is 2% (or less). If she is generally healthy, prenatal care is good and controlling risk factors (smoking, hypertension etc.), the risk of premature birth and congenital deficiency is similar to the risk of childbirth of AIDS negative women is.

Get HIV testing and treatment. If you are infected with HIV, treatment before pregnancy and pregnancy can usually prevent your baby from getting infected. If you take HIV treatment medication during pregnancy, childbirth or childbirth and you receive HIV treatment medication within 4 to 6 weeks after birth, the risk of HIV infection may be 1%. )Less than. It is due to contact with maternal blood and vaginal secretions at birth and at birth. When giving birth, the amniotic sac will rupture and the risk of infection of the baby will increase. Amniotic sac is an intrauterine capsule (sac) that can accommodate growing babies. It is full of amniotic fluid. Most babies born with HIV from their mothers are infected at birth.

Researchers can not be sure whether a baby is infected with HIV during pregnancy. It is said that a small portion of all babies are infected with HIV when they occur in the womb of the mother (uterus). However, this has not been confirmed. It is well known that most infections occur during childbirth (at birth) or after birth, breast-feeding by HIV-positive mothers. The growing fetus is supplying its own blood during pregnancy. In other words, the growing fetus does not touch the mother's blood. This will help protect the fetus from infection in the mother's blood such as HIV. However, the growing fetus ingests various proteins such as nutrients and immune system antibodies from the mother. Mothers' HIV may not enter the fetus, but her antibodies to the virus disappear.