Why HIV/AIDS can't be cured.

n 2008, some thing notable happened: a man was cured of HIV.

In over 70 million HIV instances, that became a first and, to this point, a remaining.

We do not yet apprehend precisely how he turned into cured.

we can treatment human beings of diverse illnesses, inclusive of malaria and hepatitis C,

so why cannot we therapy HIV?

well, first let's see how HIV infects people

and progresses into AIDS.

HIV spreads thru exchanges of bodily fluids.

Unprotected sex and contaminated needles are the main cause of transmission.

It, fortunately, can not spread thru air, water, or casual contact.

people of any age, sexual orientation, gender and race

can settlement HIV.

once within the frame, HIV infects cells which can be a part of the immune machine.

It specifically goals helper T cells,

which assist shield the body against bacterial and fungal infections.

HIV is a retrovirus,

which means it is able to write its genetic code into the genome of infected cells,

co-opting them into making extra copies of itself.

at some stage in the first level of HIV contamination,

the virus replicates inside helper T cells,

destroying a lot of them within the method.

all through this degree, sufferers frequently revel in flu-like signs,

but are generally not but in mortal risk.

however, for a duration starting from some months to several years,

during which era the patient may also appearance and feel absolutely wholesome,

the virus maintains to duplicate and damage T cells.

while T cell counts drop too low,

sufferers are in severe danger of contracting lethal infections

that healthy immune systems can normally manage.

This level of HIV infection is known as AIDS.

the best information is there are capsules which might be incredibly powerful

at managing ranges of HIV

and stopping T mobile counts from getting low enough

for the ailment to development to AIDS.

With antiretroviral remedy,

maximum HIV-effective human beings can assume to live long and healthful lives,

and are much much less in all likelihood to contaminate others.

however, there are predominant catches.

One is that HIV-wonderful sufferers have to hold taking their capsules

for the relaxation of their lives.

without them, the virus could make a deadly comeback.

So, how do those pills paintings?

The maximum usually prescribed ones prevent the viral genome from being copied

and integrated into a host cell's DNA.

other capsules save you the virus from maturing or assembling,

inflicting HIV to be unable to infect new cells within the body.

however HIV hides out someplace our modern capsules can not reach it:

in the DNA of wholesome T cells.

most T cells die rapidly after being inflamed with HIV.

however in a tiny percentage,

the instructions for building extra HIV viruses lies dormant,

occasionally for years.

So despite the fact that we may want to wipe out every HIV virus from an inflamed character's body,

one of those T cells should activate and begin spreading the virus again.

the opposite principal catch is that no longer all and sundry within the international has get right of entry to to the therapies

that could keep their lives.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, which bills for over 70% of HIV patients worldwide,

antiretrovirals reached most effective about one in 3 HIV-high-quality sufferers in 2012.

there's no clean answer to this trouble.

a combination of political, monetary and cultural boundaries

makes powerful prevention and treatment hard.

and even inside the U.S., HIV nonetheless claims extra than 10,000 lives in keeping with yr.

but, there may be enough motive for desire.

Researchers may be closer than ever to developing a real cure.

One studies technique includes

the usage of a drug to prompt all cells harboring the HIV genetic records.

this would each ruin those cells and flush the virus out into the open,

in which our modern-day capsules are powerful.

any other is looking to use genetic equipment

to reduce the HIV DNA out of cells genomes altogether.

And even as one remedy out of 70 million cases may additionally seem like horrible odds,

one is immeasurably better than zero.

We now recognise that a remedy is possible,

and that can deliver us what we need to conquer HIV for correct.