Cara Beck
Soc. 202
Dr. Sills
11/21/2008
An American man living in Berlin appears to have been cured of AIDS after receiving a bone marrow transplant. Bone marrow transplants are usually only reserved for dealing with leukemia, however, 20 months after the procedure he is still showing now signs of the disease. Doctors and researchers alike warn that this may have been only a fluke. AIDS has infected 33 million people worldwide so even a fluke is worth getting excited about.
The man who appears to be cured is 42 years old, but his identity has not been released to the press. The man has been living with AIDS for more than ten years. The research was done at Charite hospital in Berlin. Critics like Dr. Andrew Badley say that the tests performed on the patient were not “extensive enough”. This is not the first time that this procedure has been used for treating AIDS or HIV. In 1982 and 1996 two out of 36 attempts destroyed the infection.
There is also controversy over the cost and danger of performing the bone marrow transplant as a first line of defense against the disease. While there is no certainty as of yet as to whether or not the treatment will continue to work or if it will work for everyone. If you see the numbers though--over 33 million infected worldwide, anything that appears beneficial is worth a try.
http://www.guardian.co/uk/world/feedarticle/8042085
2 comments:
This is extremely interesting, I had no idea that this was going on. I hope that this process will work for others and eventually turn out to be the cure.
Wow,
What if this is the cure for AIDs? That would send a message of hope for the 33 million affected with the disease, I look forward to seeing what other progress will be made!
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