HIV-positive man thought to be second man in the world to be cleared of the virus
The man underwent a bone marrow stem cell transplant three years ago
By Steve Brown
A HIV-positive man in England has reportedly become the second adult worldwide to have been ‘cleared’ on the virus.
According to Reuters, the patient – who was diagnosed with HIV back in 2003 – underwent a bone marrow stem cell transplant from someone with a rare genetic mutation three years ago and now doctors have reportedly been unable to find any trace of the virus.
The patient – who has not been named – stopped talking the anti-retroviral drugs (ART) 18 months ago.
Although it has been reported that the patient has been ‘cured’, doctors have urged that it is too early to say if he has been cured and he is currently in ‘remission’.
This marks the second only time of a case like this after Timothy Brown underwent a similar treatment in 2007 and is still HIV free.