Third Patient Cured of HIV

In News

• The journal Nature Medicine has recently released about a patient being cured of AIDS.

About

• A 53-year-old German man is the third person to be “cured” of HIV after undergoing a bone-marrow transplant from an HIV-resistant donor.
• The transplant was performed for blood cancer treatment, and the HIV virus was undetectable in his body even four years after he stopped taking antiretroviral medicine.
• The patient received a stem cell transplant from a female donor with a rare mutation in her CCR5 gene, which stops HIV from entering cells.
• The bone marrow transplant used in this case is a severe and dangerous operation, and it is only suitable for some special cases or a small number of patients suffering from HIV and blood cancer.
• According to the study, this case of HIV-1 cure” provides “valuable insights that will hopefully guide future cure strategies,”

What is CCR5-Delta 32 Mutation?

• It is found in 1% of the population, and it prevents the CCR5 receptors on CD4 immune cells, which act as a doorway for the HIV virus, from forming on the surface.
• People with two copies of the mutation are almost immune to HIV, while those with one copy are less likely to contract the virus.

Can Bone-Marrow Transplants Solve the HIV Crisis?

• The mutation occurs mainly among Caucasians, making it difficult to find a matching donor, especially for those from countries with high HIV burden.
• Bone-marrow transplants are a risky and complex procedure, and it is unlikely to be rolled out for all those with HIV.
  • A bone marrow transplant is a medical treatment that replaces one’s bone marrow with healthy cells. The replacement cells can either come from the person’s own body or from a donor.
  • A bone marrow transplant is also called a stem cell transplant or, more specifically, a hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
• The virus may mutate and enter cells through other mechanisms, making the cure ineffective.

What is AIDS?

• AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, which is a chronic, potentially fatal condition caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

Causes:

• HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system, specifically the CD4 cells, which are crucial for fighting off infections.
• It primarily spread through unprotected sexual contact, sharing needles or syringes, and from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.

Symptoms:

• Many people with HIV do not experience any symptoms for years after infection, but the virus continues to damage the immune system.

• As HIV progresses, symptoms may include fever, fatigue, weight loss, night sweats, swollen lymph nodes, and recurrent infections.

Treatment:

• At present, there is currently no cure for HIV or AIDS, but antiretroviral therapy (ART) can slow the progression of the virus and improve quality of life.
• It involves taking a combination of medications that target different stages of the virus’s life cycle, reducing its ability to replicate and damage the immune system.
• The drugs have to be taken for life because the virus continues to persist in reservoirs across the body.
• If left untreated, the virus destroys a person’s immune system and leads to AIDS resulting in death.

HIV Facts & Figures: 

• AIDS Society of India, India has the third-highest HIV burden with 2.35 million.
• In 2019, there were 69,220 new HIV infections and 58,960 AIDS-related deaths in India. 
• UNAIDS Report 2020, Asia Pacific region saw a 12% decline in new HIV infections and a 29% decline in AIDS-related deaths over the last decade.

Government steps to control:

• India has implemented various schemes and programs to control and eradicate AIDS in the country.
• National AIDS Control Programme (NACP): It is a comprehensive program launched in 1992 to control the spread of HIV/AIDS in India by promoting safe behavior, increasing awareness, and providing counselling and testing services.
• Targeted Interventions (TI): Under the NACP, TI is a program that targets high-risk groups such as sex workers, injecting drug users, and men who have sex with men.
• Antiretroviral Therapy (ART): The government provides free ART to all HIV-positive patients in the country besides providing free diagnostic tests and treatment for opportunistic infections associated with HIV.
• 90:90:90 strategy as adopted by UNAIDS (90% (diagnosed, treatment (by anti-retroviral treatment (ART)) & suppression)) by 2020.
  • Extended by 10 years with the goal post of 95-95-95.
• Community-based approaches: The government also involves local communities, civil society organizations, and people living with HIV/AIDS in the planning, implementation, and monitoring process to tackle HIV/AIDS.
• Jan Jagriti Abhiyan: This is a mass awareness campaign launched by the government to educate people about HIV/AIDS especially in rural areas and promote safe behavior and practices.
• National Rural Health Mission (NRHM): It was launched by the government to provide primary healthcare services to people living in rural areas.

Conclusion

• While bone-marrow transplants offer a cure for HIV, they are not a viable option for everyone.
• Antiretroviral therapy remains the most effective treatment for managing HIV and preventing the transmission of the virus.

Source: IE