The US has the fourth highest number of HIV-cured patients in the world

A 66-year-old patient at City of Hope Hospital in the US was diagnosed with HIV. He is fourth in the world to have been declared cured of the disease.

According to the hospital, a stem cell transplant with a rare genetic mutation was performed to treat leukemia. The procedure was done in early 2019, after which he stopped taking regular HIV medications. Currently, he is recovering from both diseases and undergoing treatment for more than one and a half years.

“We are very happy to inform you [o paciente] “His HIV is in remission and he no longer needs to take medication from the antiretroviral therapy he’s been taking for over 30 years,” said Jana Dichter, researcher and professor in City of Hope’s Division of Infectious Diseases.

According to the hospital, the patient showed no evidence of HIV replication after the transplant. “I never thought I would live to see the day I was cured of HIV,” he added.