An Argentinean HIV patient is the second person in the world to be cured without medication.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — An Argentine patient known as the “Esperanza patient” became the second person in the world to successfully fight HIV naturally. Eight years since being diagnosed with infection, Esperanza has cleared human immunodeficiency virus.
Medics confirmed that no intact or disease-causing virus was found in Esperanza’s tissue cells. So far, Esperanza has never received any medication, except during her pregnancy to make sure the baby is healthy.
Doctor Xu Yu and his team from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States confirmed this after conducting a series of tests. Test results showed the 30-year-old mother was negative for HIV.
So far, Esperanza’s condition – which means “hope” in Spanish – has been extensively examined by researchers in Argentina and Boston, USA since 2019. They did not find any virus in Esperanza’s body, only antibodies that indicated she had been infected.
The findings were announced at an international meeting with HIV experts in March. Now, the findings have been published in Annals of Internal Medicine on Monday.
:Knowing that my condition can help find a cure for this virus makes me feel a great responsibility and commitment to make it happen,” wrote “Esperanza patient” to STAT News Globe.
According to Esperanza, her first child is healthy and free of HIV. Now, she is pregnant with her second child.
Apart from Esperanza, the only person ever reported to be naturally clear of HIV is Loreen Willenberg. Esperanza, named after her city of residence, was diagnosed with HIV 30 years ago.
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