Question
Why has no cure for HIV been found and will there be one?
21 June 2006. Related: All topics, Cure, Newly diagnosed.
Answer
HIV is a very difficult virus to beat – but we do at least now have very effective treatments – and these have all been developed over the last 20 years.
One of the reasons the drugs don’t eradicate HIV, is because a lot of infected immune cells are resting or asleep. The drugs can’t work when they are sleeping – and they can sleep for 70 years.
Different groups of researchers are looking at whether there are ways to wake up all those cells. Other researchers are looking at drugs that can work on the sleeping cells. With all this research, science with find a way to improve treatment – and there may even be a cure one day. There are lots of reasons to be optimistic.
(Adapted from a question from the i-Base Q&A pages of the African Eye a new treatment publication for African communities affected by HIV who are living in the UK)
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