Reports of HIV cures have been recently proliferating online. However, there seemed to be a puzzle left unsolved despite reports of medical breakthroughs associated with HIV and AIDS.
The thought of discovering a cure for the said virus is indeed a great medical breakthrough, especially after international organizations and world government spent their resources in developing a cure. However, despite the reports of extensive scientific breakthroughs, some experts chose not to immediately accept the said facts for the improvement of the overall research concerning Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
Despite confirmed reports of people getting cured of the said Immunodeficiency Virus, Janet Siliciano, an infectious disease researcher at Johns Hopkins University, chose to be a little bit skeptic.
For the purpose of discovering the truth, Siliciano believes that HIV remains invisible deep inside "resting" CD4 T cells. The virus would then resurface after the effect of antiretroviral therapy wears off or when the patient stop using it. By then, the virus would rapidly resurge, coming out of its suppression and rest inside the body.
"Everyone has a different number of resting infected cells that are acting as a reservoir. They turn back on randomly, so it's very hard to predict when someone will experience a viral rebound," Popular Science quoted Siliciano as saying.
Under the said circumstance, further studies and treatment are being perfected, including the 'Shock and kill' strategy for curing HIV. This particular curative strategy which aims to wake up dormant viruses in the body, making them vulnerable to the patient's clinically boosted immune system has been re-examined by some experts because of its potential danger.
According to MedicalXpress, such curative approach could damage the brain as the treatment could backfire and cause long-term effect if indeed the virus is in fact lurking in the brain and not just in the surrounding blood.
Given these points and all the breakthroughs and concerns being laid on the table, it would be best to wait and see how these treatments and approaches will develop.