Science scores win

The reports of a nine-month-old baby born in California with HIV virus cured of the condition mark a watershed moment for modern-day human beings. Not just the medical fraternity, but the entire human race must rejoice this singular achievement and brave fight against what proved to be one of the definitive battles at the fag end of 21st century. AIDS has affected millions of people worldwide and has particularly bogged down the developing world, where poverty and non-access to costly immunodeficiency vaccines had aggravated the situation, turning the disease into an epidemic. However, with greater awareness and relentless campaigns, as well as because of the tireless pursuit of a cure for HIV/AIDS by the medical community, much of it has been contained. Yet, the search for a permanent solution had only yielded a yawning gap between reality and dreams of conquering the final frontiers of medicine. Now, with a new baby, the second one in fact, completely cured of HIV/AIDS, hope floats. Earlier, a baby born in Mississippi was cured by administering antiretroviral drugs in the first hours of life, not allowing the virus to spread. The baby, now more than three years of age, ceased receiving antiretroviral treatments over two years ago, thereby establishing that early onset of curative procedure could prove to be the Holy Grail of medical community of nailing the tough recalcitrant HIV/AIDS virus. However, accomplishing remission in children is a risky business since the patient needs to be taken off care for a substantial period of time to observe any incidence of relapse. Let’s congratulate and thank the team at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine that has achieved this tremendous feat.