AIDS

[MARV]

Will we ever see a cure in our lifetime?

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[WolverineSyr]

Considering that we can't cure ANY viruses right now - even the ones we've known about the longest (rabies, colds, flu, etc.) I'd say no. But, who knows - there may be a huge breakthrough in 5 years, 10, 20, 30, 40 years from now.

I have faith in that. A cure would put me out of a job & I really wouldn't mind on those grounds.

I think most of the research is focused on vaccines right now, and has been for 20+ years.

[MARV]

OK, pardon my ignorance but what's the differenced between a vaccine and a "cure"?

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[StormyPetrel]

A vaccine prevents you from catching it.

A cure kills it after you have caught it.

AFAIK


B
A

-~Obscene dreams in rusty beds.~-

[BigBri]

Cure- unlikely, just like Wolvey said. Also, HIV is real efficient at "hiding" within certain cells in the body. So, controlling the virus/infection will continue to improve, but that's probably the best we'll be able to do.

A vaccine is going to be our best bet against beating HIV, and we're probably years off from a viable vaccine. HIV's versatile ability to mutate makes successfully targeting it with a vaccine quite difficult. And researchers have attempted to target a number of HIV proteins that do not change, will little success. Not to mention, if you get that far, vaccine testing/trials, surveillance for safety and side effects, etc.

[empyrean]

I dont think so. But if ever there is one, i dont think anyone can afford it.

I heard about this Retrovir thing mixed with another medicine that can slow down the spread of the virus.

[NuWaveRx]

Wolvie's right, Marv. Although we've made some tremendous strides in many areas of medicine, We currently cannot cure nearly any viral disease. We do have treatments for Herpes simplex and zoster, cytomeglovirus, HIV, Hepatitis B and C, and influenza virus. None of these are very good treatments and in the best cases slow or stop the replication of the disease. You never say never in the world of medicine, but I think it's unlikely we will find a cure for HIV in the next 20 years, barring some tremendous (probably serendipidous) breakthrough. Prevention is the name of the game in virology.

HOWEVER, IMHO the discovery of the HIV virus, the uncovering of it's genetic structure and the development of drugs to treat it is (again, IMHO) one of the greatest examples of what humans can do if enough brainpower, time and resources are committed to it. Think about it: in 1979 we did even know what was killing gay men in certain areas of the U.S--all we knew was that it was about 90% fatal. only 25 years later science identified the organism and developed treatements that have turned a nearly certain death sentence to a chronic disease. So a breakthrough is always possible.

Proabably more info than you wanted.

[WolverineSyr]

[quote][i]Originally posted by empyrean[/i]
I heard about this Retrovir thing mixed with another medicine that can slow down the spread of the virus.
[/quote]

Retrovir is one of many, many drugs that treat HIV. They're not really intended to stop the spread of the virus, although that's an added benefit - sometimes. If a person takes their medications consistently, then they are less infectious, thus less able to spread the virus to others during risky behavior. Anti-HIV medications should be taken in combinations of various types of drugs - they stop replication of the virus at different levels. I think Retrovir is two drugs in one - which makes it much easier for patients to take.

Most HIV drugs have a lot of side effects and you have to be real dedicated to taking them, or the virus will find a way around them. When I started working in HIV in '85 it was normal to have at least one death per month. Now days it's weird when you have one death per year. That's all due to better medicines.

I haven't kept up on what's out there - it changes too quickly, and I'm more interested in prevention & policy stuff where I work. I also forget that other countries do not have the resources that we Americans do.

The biggest obstacle I see today is education for younger people - I'm not sure if they see themselves as not at risk - or what. Girls under 24 are one of the fastest rising groups getting HIV - about 64% of new infections. Those of you with kids - get some good rational information on prevention and talk to your kids about it - don't expect schools to do it, or to do it right.

[DayGloJo]

Thanks, Wolverine. I didn't realize that the HIV rate was rising so rapidly in that age group of young women. That's tremendous information and advice.

NWO: way more fun than data modelling.

[WoodlandParkPunk]

Who's to say there isn't already a cure, but big companies make big $$$$ "trying" to find the cure. Hmm....

"You just pick a chord, go twang, and you've got music." ~ Sid Vicious