Wednesday 9 November 2011

Man against the virus

Now, this man Timothy Ray Brown, a HIV patient, received a bone marrow transplant from a guy who was immune to HIV. Soon after that, the HIV virus inside Brown disappeared.

Take a look at this article.

Magic? Perhaps not. The bone marrow is a flexible tissue found in our bones that produces red blood cells. While I'm no expert at viruses or medicine, it's safe to say that the blood the new bone marrow produced triggered this cure. In rare cases of a bone marrow transplant, the blood type of the person changes.

HIV is a worldwide epidemic that especially affects the poverty-stricken. HIV has no known cure. HIV will eventually lead to AIDS, and AIDS will eventually lead to death. The virus demolishes a person's immune system, such that even the slightest flu bug can be fatal to him. AIDS isn't exactly the harbringer of death, but rather more of a messenger.

While this piece of news is probably not much of a cause for celebration to HIV patients worldwide, at the very least, it brings the human race a glimmer of hope against this dangerous virus. At the very least, we all now know that the virus is not invincible, and there is perhaps some way to counter it. That, is some cause for celebration for humankind.

In Man's battle against the virus.

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