As Scanner Emily reported earlier, hemotologists in
Berlin claim that a bone marrow transplant has cured an American
patient of theirs of the AIDS virus. Or is it HIV? These things can be
so confusing to the media, which hasn't given a shit about this issue
since The Ryan White Story... An American man who suffered from AIDS appears to have been cured of the disease 20 months after receiving a targeted bone marrow transplant normally used to fight leukemia, his doctors said.
While researchers — and the doctors themselves — caution that the
case might be no more than a fluke, others say it may inspire a greater
interest in gene therapy to fight the disease that claims 2 million
lives each year. The virus has infected 33 million people worldwide.
Dr. Gero Huetter said Wedneday his 42-year-old patient, an American
living in Berlin who was not identified, had been infected with the
AIDS virus for more than a decade. But 20 months after undergoing a
transplant of genetically selected bone marrow, he no longer shows
signs of carrying the virus. [Yahoo! Health]
That's according to the AP. But the BBC has a different story, the one Emily reported on:
The researchers in Berlin said the man, who suffered from leukaemia
and HIV, had shown no sign of either disease since the transplant two
years ago.
But they stressed it was an unusual case which needed further investigation.
Experts said the result may boost interest in gene therapy for HIV.
Berlin's Charite clinic said the 42-year-old patient was an American living in Berlin, but the man has not been identified.
Either way, we're trying to stay positive (hey, at least it cured one person, whether or not anyone else is ever cured) although, yes, it could be a fluke... or a glitch in their readings... or poor research. Or some other answer that would automatically discount their findings.
But we're hoping that the 42-year-old patient goes on to live a long life... and that millions of other people are able to as well. What do you think?
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