Today’s article is about HIV. Timothy Brown, the first man to be cured of HIV, has driven scientists to find an effective way to end HIV. He was cured when he was diagnosed with HIV and received a bone marrow transplant from a donor who had defective CCR5 receptors on his T-cells, the receptors that HIV uses to infiltrate cells. Soon after, the HIV in his body started to decline. Scientists have tried to apply the same concept in very small clinical trials with minor success, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Further research need to be done.While this is a small success in the battle against HIV, it also brings to attention a very large issue in healthcare: money. Even if this gene therapy were to be at a stage where it could be used outside of clinical trials, it's still technologically advanced and expensive. It is not efficiency use in developing countries. Especially countries in Africa. HIV has hit Africa the hardest, but Africa also has the poorest countries in the world. There is no way that this gene therapy could be supplied to the people who need it most. As we have discussed, the poor need this technology significantly more than the rich, yet they suffer even more without it. While the relatively well off at least have anti-retroviral medication to slow down the effects, the poor have nothing to use. When we applaud such discoveries, research, and advancements, we also have to keep in mind the people we end up helping, and those who we still are not bringing help to. We don't realize that although there is a big accomplishment here, many, many more are still suffering.
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/09/gene-therapy-may-thwart-hiv.html
It is commendable that HIV has been cured for on individual. However, how well has this experiment been effective for other individuals and how much did the cure cost is anther story. It is great that one person is cured, but this does nothing for the rest of the population that is affected by HIV and AIDS. A cheap and effective cure for HIV needs to be found.
ReplyDeleteThe discovery for gene therapy as a cure for HIV is definitely noteworthy and groundbreaking. The use of the procedure, however, is very limited to those who are wealthy. This is a perfect example of how health care is based on socioeconomic status, and the right to healthcare to a certain degree can not be made possible to everyone. For individuals living in developing areas like Africa, preventative healthcare will always be the most cost efficient method to combating diseases.
ReplyDeleteIt is a huge step in the advancements of treatments in curing HIV. Bringing hope to those already infected, Timothy Brown is an example of the success of the antiretroviral vaccines to help fight HIV. Getting treatment to those in need, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, will be a challenge to overcome. People from these regions do not have access to medical attention or even money to pay for the vaccines. With these new treatments, the incidence rates will be drastically reduced.
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