Photo credit: Alma Miller
This article was released the second day of this new year, 2014. I can't think of a better way to kick of this new year than discussing advances in HIV/AIDS research. The article highlights two patients thought to previously have been cured of the HIV virus, that have now relapsed. Reports insist two things: it's a disappointment for those patients who relapsed, but a huge advancement for HIV research. Sharon Lewin, an HIV expert at Monash University in Australia said,
"We've learnt many things here - and one of the most important is that a tiny, tiny amount of virus can get the whole thing going again. It's a clear message that we need better ways to pick up the virus."
The article goes on to remind us that 20 years ago, we would never have even dared to put "HIV" and "cured" in the same sentence. My heart goes out to those Boston patients who relapsed. We have not found a cure, and it may seem to some that we've hit a wall when we discover something that does not work in research. However, knowing what does not work, allows researchers to focus on new strategies. I can't help but remain incredibly excited to see the advances that will be made just this year in HIV research. Let's never give up hope.
-Happy New Year from the HIV/AIDS Awareness Network Team!
