Question
When will there be a cure for HIV?
18 September 2014. Related: All topics, Cure, Living with HIV long-term.
Hello,
Thanks for your answer to my previous question.
I have managed to convince my girlfriend who tested HIV positive not to commit suicide. I told her to take medications for the next few years.
I told her that i was convinced that there would be a cure in the next few years. Are my hopes justified?
In your opinion how long do you think it would take to find a cure if any?
What websites give such information?
Answer
Learning that you have HIV can be tough. But while coming to term with this it should help to know that current treatment means that most people can lead long, normal, lives.
We can do the same things we did in life before we had HIV. This includes sport, work, getting married and having children. Some people even say that finding out they were HIV positive meant that they valued life more than they did before.
Some people make changes in their lives for the better, in ways they might not have done otherwise. Life may be slightly more complicated with HIV, but access to good treatment allows all these things.
When someone is first diagnosed they may not have information, or they may not believe it. This is why access to accurate information is so important.
As for a cure, I’m sure it will come. In the last five years there has been a dramatic increase in this research. Scientists are making great progress in working on all the sections of this very complex problem.
Science has a way of solving most problems. If not now, then it will happen in the future. But putting a timeline on when is tough. Many of the leading scientists are cautious on this. Many suggest at least ten years is reasonable but an unexpected breakthough could change this.
One part of the challenge for HIV is that the virus becomes part of the genetic material (DNA) of immune cells. Some of these cells, once infected, rest or sleep for many years. Currently HIV drugs only work in cells that are active or awake, but research is looking at ways of targeting those sleeping cells.
This article describes new approaches to cure research:
https://i-base.info/guides/art-in-pictures/the-hiv-cure-puzzle
Even if a cure is a long way off it is not something that I worry about. It will come, and treatment will keep me healthy and alive until then. Following research is a good was to keep informed – both for newer treatments and for research into vaccines and ‘a cure’.
Most HIV organisations have newsletters that report on research from medical conferences. If you email me with which country you live in I can suggest something that may be useful.
Note: The answer was updated in September 2014 from a question asked in August 2007.
Sir, I had a unprotected oral sex with one girl on 31 August 2012.. But letter I came across some questions about her of having HIV. That time I was not that much aware of such things. So next day 1st sept I tested for HIV and it was negative. Then 1st December 2012 I tested Negative. So that time I was tension free. But after that I become full anxious and an anxiety person. I got feared of everything. I become a mental patient almost. Even I was afraid of touching someone, taking food from someone. I was feeling like helpless and guilty. And day by day my brain eating me as I have so responsibility about my parents. Now a day I came across with some symptoms like low testosterone, brain fatigue, concentration problem and feeling sleepy and weak always. Having tension about how I will take care of my parents. Now I’m feeling helpless. Don’t have more courage to test again. If people get to know about this I have to do suicide. I love my parents.. Plz help plz. I’m not able to concentrate on my study….
Hi Oludotun,
Information about HIV testing can be found here:
http://i-base.info/qa/11844
I met a girl last year November and we were dating, having unprotected sex but later discovered that she’s HIV positive cos she didn’t tell me when we started but out of curiosity and questioning. She confessed but she’s been on HIV drugs since she was tested positive. I went for HIV test the day I discovered, May 2016 and also went for another test October 2016 but all tested negative. For few months now, have been experiencing body itching and even my children too but can’t figure out what could have been the cause. Please I need you to educate me on this issue cos I’m yet to know if I’m positive. Waiting to read from you.
Hi Vovo,
If you are taking HIV meds and you are negative, then can prevent you from being infected. This is one of the reasons why PrEP is available in certain countries. Though not on the NHS in England. If you have a positive test result, then negative, you will need to test again.
what will happen if you are taking hiv drug while you are hiv negative? Some people test once and find that is hiv + while they are hiv -.
Hi Rishab, please see information at this link – including the link about just having been diagnosed:
http://i-base.info/hiv-positive
Finding out about your health and options can be a good way to take control of the situation. Slowly, day by day it will get easier. Modern ART means you are likely to live as long as your would have before you were diagnosed. Talk to your doctor about when you can start treatment – sometimes there is a lot of choice for this. A cure will come one day – just not sure when :)
Hello sir…. My name is rishab singh i am 18years old and i was infected by hiv by my girl friend… And i was mentally off balanced Because of that.. Sir could u please tell me if i will start medications within a couple of days… So how many time i have to live…. And sir what will be my approx life expectancy.. According to you…. And one more thing sir how many time scientists will take to find the medicine which completely cures hiv infections…..
where to get treatment for hiv+ and don’t want to let other know in Xian, china
Hi Win, please ask at the hospital or test centre. These medicines need to be prescribed by a doctor. HIV meds are available in China.
Hi Paramanand, currently, HIV treatment is not a cure. You need to keep taking meds everyday, even after many years. HIV treatment is very good. Even if someone starts treatment when they are very ill, the meds can help most people recover. There are over 17 million people now on treatment. Because I am sure that one day the scientists will find a cure, I never refer to HIV treatment as being for life.