A group of doctors shared the news that a baby girl born in Los Angeles last April was born with the AIDS virus and is now in remission possibly because of very early treatment. The baby was treated four hours after birth. She is the second baby to go into remission after early treatment, a similar outcome happened a month earlier for a baby in Mississippi.
Doctors are still treating the Los Angeles baby for AIDS, although it does appear she is in remission and doctors are cautiously optimistic. The Mississippi baby is no longer on AIDS medicine.
Scientists have also modified genes in the blood cells of a dozen adults, the modification helps them resist HIV. The hope is that this approach will be able to keep some people from needing medicines to keep HIV under control in the future.
"The ultimate goal is to create an immune system in the body that's been edited genetically so the cells are not capable of being infected with HIV," said director Dr. Anthony Fauci, "but we are a long way from there at this point."
