Baby cure puts spotlight on importance of HIV testing
As the country pauses today to recognize National HIV Testing Day, it’s hard to believe it’s been three decades since we first heard about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) on a national scale. Since then, the search for a cure has been long, tireless and relentless. But in the past few months there has been news of potential game changers in the fight against HIV. And physicians say one incident in particular happened almost by accident.
A baby girl who was born HIV positive two and a half years ago is apparently cured of the virus. The Mississippi toddler was given high doses of three antiretroviral drugs within 30 hours of her birth and doctors say there is now no evidence of HIV.
They believe the aggressive form of treatment is the reason for the outcome, they describe as a “functional cure,” which means the presence of the virus is so small, that standard clinical tests can’t detect it in the blood.
One of the physicians who led the investigation into the child’s case says researchers and physicians will have to look further into the benefits and risks of performing this type of aggressive treatment for other infants.
Dr. Catherine Creticos, infectious disease specialist at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center agrees. “I think this will cause us to be more aggressive in giving more medication early, with the hope of achieving a cure in more children,” she says. “I also think this will push us to have better diagnostic tools for newborns.”
News of the baby HIV cure is the second reported case of a patient being cured of the virus. The first was a 46-year-old man who was diagnosed with HIV and leukemia before he was cured as the result of a 2007 stem cell transplant.
What makes the infant case so unique is actually how she ended up receiving the unconventional treatment. Normally, babies born with HIV are given low-dose HIV medication in the hopes of preventing the disease from taking root, but in this case, the hospital where the baby was born did not have any of the low-dose meds available. As a result, a specialist treated the baby with higher-than-normal levels of the medication.
Doctors say even after the mom temporarily stopped treatment for five months, and despite the fact that the infant received no other anti-AIDS medications during this time, the toddler still shows no signs of HIV.
Researchers continue to dig deeper to determine if this is just a rare case or if this is truly a scientific breakthrough that will help other infants born infected with HIV.
Health experts say that’s why the public cannot underscore the importance of getting tested and knowing their HIV status. One South Side Chicago hospital takes this message to heart and to help make sure the patients and communities it serves get tested, they offer HIV and Hepatitis C testing and counseling at no charge.
“The rapid HIV testing program has been huge for our community here on the South Side of Chicago,” said Patricia Parks, manager of clinical operations at Advocate Trinity Hospital’s emergency department. “Not only is the program free, but anyone can walk in off the street, get their finger pricked and receive their test results in a matter of seconds.”
The free service is provided for anyone ages 13 to 63 who visit the hospital’s emergency department.
Parks said they recently had a gentleman who tested positive for HIV and after learning his status he brought in his wife and three-year-old child for testing.
“They all tested positive,” said Parks. “Since then we have been helping the family take the best steps forward to ensure they receive the assistance and care they need.”
Click here to find a local screening center near you.
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health enews staff is a group of experienced writers from our Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care sites, which also includes freelance or intern writers.
The free HIV and Hep C program at Trinity Hospital is great. It is funded through grants and charitable donation to Advocate.
That is great Angela! Spread the word!
My Name is Lara from usa. i am really happy to share my life testimony on this forum because the sickness of HIV that i think is impossible to cure was possible when i meet a grate spell caster, i know so many people have same problem which they are finding difficult to solve. i have been sick for over 4 years now. i have been to so many hospitals and i could not get any solution to my sickness. i decided to discussion my problem with my friend Mrs Susan. she introduce me to a powerful spell caster in African . i never believe in black magic,until my boss introduce me to the same man called Dr Eduka.who happen to be the grates healer in the hole of African, edukaspelltemple@outlook.com. i contacted him and he assure me that he will help me cure the sickness of HIV that i have. he instructed me on what to do and i obeyed him. to my greatest surprise, i was healed within three days. after the spell was being cast.i am now using the opportunity to tell all of you that have the sickness to quickly contact this man a get a good result as soon as possible, is email is edukaspelltemple@outlook.com. is spell is foe a better life.
DR AGUBA is the only Dr who could ever get my HIV-AIDS cured with his healing spell, i have tried almost everything but i couldn’t find any solution on my disease, despite all these happening to me, i always spend alot to buy a HIV drugs from hospital and taking some several medications but no relieve, until one day i was just browsing on the internet when i come across a great post of !Michelle! who truly said that she was been diagnose with HIV and was healed that very week through the help of these great powerful healing spell doctor, sometime i really wonder why people called him Dr AGUBA, i never knew it was all because of the great and perfect work that he has been doing that is causing all this. so i quickly contacted him, and he ask me some few questions and he said a thing i will never forget that anyone who contacted him is ! always getting his or her healing in just 6 hours after doing all he ask you, so i was amazed all the time i heard that from him, so i did all things only to see that at the very day which he said i will be healed, all the strength that has left me before rush back and i becomes very strong and healthy, this disease almost kills my life all because of me, so i will to hospital to give the final test to the disease and the doctor said i am HIV negative, i am very amazed and happy about the healing DR AGUBA gave to me from the ancient part of Africa, you can email him now for your own healing too at: agubaspelltemple@yahoo.com thank you sir for healing me from HIV. contact his phone number +2348169457829 – See more at:
i will thank Mrs Bernille for letting the world knows the powerful man that help her from AIDS disease. This was what i have all my life been waiting for since i was infected by HIV last 6 months. I always spend money for drugs always but still yet my weight becomes poorer and my joint always getting painful and inching all day. But when i met this comment last 3 days, i quickly contacted Dr Camala the Traditional helper. He is from the western part of Africa, i didn’t spend much as i spent for drugs each day, and i for the fact truly reason this because my life was already as take by this disease called AIDS. Truly, when it was 9:00 clock on Monday this week he called me that his oracle urgently required some few life items to enable the disease wipe out successfully, then i was asked to send down 200 usd ($). Which i did. He truly bought the items and surprisingly, yesterday afternoon Dr Camala called me that my work has been finally done and it work out well. I was glad and he told me to rush down to my hospital for checkup. Which i really did, my brothers and sisters i went down crying because no one has ever done this to a person in life. Dr Camala truly healed me. I was crying it was a dream to my eyes when the doctor said to me that I am HIV NEGATIVE. I am now a free born in life, am now like other people who now think things like human. For these days and forever, i will accept Dr Camala as my father and my healer and helper. He is a great man. Thank you sir. I know i cant reward you. But my God in heaven can. Thank you sir once again.
Regards.
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My Name is audia sullivan and i am from USA, I wish to share the testimony of life experience with the general public about what this priest has just done for me, this priest has just brought back my Lost hope to me with his great powers, I was infected with HIV/AIDS during my youth camp in Texas. i never notice it until I meet this man David morgan . We both love each other and we plane to get married. I Was surprise when we go for HIV/AIDS test, i was HIV/IADS positive. The man was so disappointed in me, I wanted to kill myself, but a friend of mine told me not to worry that I still have life to live. She ask me one day to followed her to the cyber cafe, when we get there, I decided search for the best way to live with HIV/AID, that was when i saw a testimonies from Nollbert Hurt on how a great priest heal him of HIV/AIDS. i decided to email contact the man, then you won’t believe this when i Contacted this priest on my problems, he told me what I needed to do and how to do it, he gave me 6days to go back for the test again, I go back to the same hospital and have the same test, but the HIV/AIDS positive change to negative. I didn’t believed the doctor’s report, I went to another hospital, the same result, the greatest surprise is that, the man who left me for 2months came looking for me and said he could find it easy doing anything without me. I promise to testify and share the testimony on the internet and everywhere I went to. I will keep on shearing this testimony until my oldest age. Inside and outside me is full of happiness. I am ready to tell the whole world about this good man because he did it for me and i believe he will do it for others who need his help. His contacts are
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Truthfully, i was tested HIV + positive last 3years. I keep on managing the drugs i usually purchase from the health care agency to keep me healthy and strenghtful, i tried all i can too make this disease leave me alone, but unfortunately, it keep on eating up my life, this is what i caused myself, for allowing my fiance make sex to me insecurely without protection, although i never knew he is HIV positive. So last few 4days i came in contact with a lively article on the internet on how this Powerful Herb Healer get her well and healed. So as a patient i knew this will took my life 1 day, and i need to live with other friends and relatives too. So i copied out the Dr Zuma zuk the traditional healer’s email id: spiritualherbalisthealers@gmail.com and I mailed him immediately, in a little while he mail me back that i was welcome to his temple home were by all what i seek for are granted. I was please at that time. And i continue with him, he took some few details from me and told me that he shall get back to me as soon as he is through with my work. I was very happy as heard that from him. So Yesterday, as i was just coming from my friends house, Dr Zuma zuk called me to go for checkup in the hospital and see his marvelous work that it is now HIV negative, i was very glad to hear that from him, so i quickly rush down to the nearest hospital to found out, only to hear from my hospital doctor called Browning Lewis that i am now HIV NEGATIVE. I jump up at him with the test note, he ask me how does it happen and i recede to him all i went through with Dr Zuma zuk I am now glad, so i am a gentle type of person that need to share this testimonies to everyone who seek for healing, because once you get calm and quiet, so the disease get to finish your life off. So i will advice you contact him today for your healing at the above details: Email ID:spiritualherbalisthealers@gmail.com CONTACT HIM NOW TO SAVE YOUR LIFE:spiritualherbalisthealers@gmail.com AS HE IS SO POWERFUL AND HELPFUL TO ALL THAT HAVE THIS SICKNESS… or call for immediately respond +2348078139254