WASHINGTON--A baby born with the virus that causes AIDS appears to have been cured, scientists announced Sunday, describing the case of a child from Mississippi who's now 2.5 and has been off medication for about a year with no signs of infection. There's no evidence that shows that the child will remain healthy, although complex testing uncovered just traces of the virus' genetic material still lingering . If so, it would mark only the world' s second reported cure. Specialists say Sunday's announcement, at a major AIDS meeting in Atlanta, offers promising clues for efforts to remove HIV infection in children, especially in African countries where too many babies are born with the virus. "You could call this about as close to a cure," Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health, who is familiar with the findings, told The Associated Press.     A doctor gave this baby faster and stronger treatment than usual, starting a three-drug mixture within 30 hours of birth. That was before tests confirmed the infant was infected and not just at risk from a mother whose HIV wasn't diagnosed until she was in labor . "I just felt like this baby was at higher-than-normal risk, and deserved our best shot," Dr. Hannah Gay, a pediatric HIV specialist at the University of Mississippi, said in an interview. That fast action apparently knocked out HIV in the baby's blood before it could form hideouts in the body. Those so-called reservoirs of dormant cells usually rapidly reinfect anyone who stops medication, said Dr. Deborah Persaud of Johns Hopkins Children's Center. Next, Persaud's team is planning a study to try to prove that, with more aggressive treatment of other high-risk babies. "Maybe we'll be able to block this reservoir seeding." Persaud said. No one should stop anti-AIDS drugs as a result of this case, Fauci warned. What can we learn from the passage?
The baby was cured of its HIV before birth. The baby was infected with HIV after birth. The baby was infected with HIV from its mother. The virus causing AIDS was completely removed from the baby.