The case of “the Mississippi child,” who showed no trace of HIV ten months after stopping antiretroviral therapy, generates excitement at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI). Hopes that this was a case of a “functional cure” are dashed, however, when the child’s virus rebounds the following year.
French researchers report that they are following 14 people—the VISCONTI cohort—who are “functionally cured” of HIV. These individuals were given antiretroviral therapy soon after infection and have been off treatment for an average of more than seven years.
Secretary of State John Kerry announces that, aided by PEPFAR support, more than one million infants have been born HIV-free since 2003.
amfAR-funded researchers report that two HIV-positive patients in Boston who had bone-marrow transplants for blood cancers have apparently been virus-free for many weeks since stopping antiretroviral therapy. Both patients eventually experienced viral rebound.
UNAIDS reports a decline in HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths. In 2012, 2.3 million people were newly infected with HIV and 1.6 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses.
President Obama issues an executive order directing federal agencies to prioritize supporting the HIV care continuum as a means of implementing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. The HIV Care Continuum Initiative aims to accelerate efforts to improve the percentage of people living with HIV who move from testing to treatment and—ultimately—to viral suppression.
President Obama signs the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act, which will allow people living with HIV to receive organs from other infected donors.
