Doctors Believe a Second Baby Is Cured of HIV

A baby infected with HIV at birth has been cured of the disease, doctors believe.

The baby, who was born in Los Angeles, received treatment within a few hours after birth, and is still virus-free a year later, doctors announced Wednesday at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston. The mother had not been taking her HIV medication while pregnant, doctors say.

Although it’s too early to know for certain whether the child is just in remission, doctors say the baby’s vitals are displaying differently compared with patients with suppressed HIV. The baby is currently in foster care.

This is the second baby doctors believe to be cured of the disease with very early treatment. Another child from Mississippi received similar treatment when her mother was discovered to be HIV-positive during labor. The child is now 3 1/2 years old and appears to be cured, even though her mother was not administering the baby her HIV medication at follow-up.

[AP]