Early therapeutic intervention enables an effective control of HIV infection. This is stated in a French study published last week in the "Plos pathogens Journal".

            In the Necker Hospital in Paris 14 HIV-infected patients had been taking in early stages of the disease, i e no more than 2 months after infection, antiretroviral drugs aimed to control the virus. They had been treated for 3 years and then were able to do without antiretroviral drugs and didn’t have HIV-virus revival in their body. This group of patients had stoppped taking medication more than 7 years ago.

            Chief virologist of Necker Hospital and professor of Paris Descartes University Christine Rouzioux, was a member of the team that started 30 years ago research aimed at identifying the HIV-virus.

            ‘Beyond any doubt, it is a treatment at a very early stage, which gives possibility to control the virus, because it completely blockes pathological process at the time of initial viral infection,’ she said. And she continued, ‘It is unlikely that these patients had a chance to avoid the disease: sooner or later it would happen. Nevertheless, for 7 years, they were going without treatment, and therefore, no toxic substances, and it was - not a trifle’.

            Currently, this treatment is only effective in 10% of cases. The question is how to treat the remaining 90% of patients. Now scientists are working towards a vaccine that could help them to overcome the infection.

            Overall, there are more than 34 million of HIV-infected people in the world.