Good news emerged after it was reported that doctors were able to find a cure for HIV. Agencies will still have to make their own investigations to confirm the alleged cure, but the procedure -- a blood transplant -- still poses some life-threatening risks to patients.
Blood Transplants From Umbilical Cords
According to Healthy Food Team, a group of doctors from Barcelona, Spain was able to confirm that they were able to find a cure for HIV. The HIV virus is responsible for AIDS, which affects more that 34 million people worldwide. Their findings were considered as remarkable as it is the first "possible" cure for HIV.
The doctors used blood transplants derived from umbilical cords of individuals with "genetic resistance" to HIV. For the study, doctors took into consideration that they would be taking care of the virus and possibly treat the HIV through a certain process.
The HIV Story of Timothy Brown
An HIV patient, Timothy Brown from Barcelona, Spain, was effectively cured after going through the medical transplant that the doctors performed in 2009. Though it was effective, they were not able to come up with the transplant's long-term effects on the patient.
Timothy Brown started his HIV treatment in 1995, where he was treated with anti-retroviral therapy for a total of 11 years. Brown consistently announced that he positively responded to the therapy and has been HIV-free all throughout the treatment, as per ABC News.
More is Needed
Brown's health started to show signs of weakness months after his HIV treatment. He was positively diagnosed with myeloid leukemia, and he underwent chemotherapy. Unfortunately, Brown died as he developed cancer three years after the transplant.
Timothy Brown's HIV-free journey was one of the most followed HIV-related cases as the public remained optimistic in finding a cure. The medical breakthrough is still being pushed for deeper studies as it can possibly provide an effective cure for HIV or possibly pave the way for a more effective cure.
