In almost four decades, billions of dollars were invested in studies to find a cure for AIDS, which is still a mystery to science today. In the meantime, millions of people have died as a result of the disease and, currently, at least 37 million are carriers of the HIV virus, according to the World Health Organization. Advances such as the proven effectiveness of antiretrovirals that slow the progress of the virus in the body and give Greater survival for people with the disease is the closest we have come to finding a cure for AIDS. Recently, a new report released by scientists showed a positive result for a new vaccine that could be a cure for AIDS. The study developed by researchers in Spain was carried out with five HIV-positive patients who “were cured” thanks to this vaccine. The test has not yet been carried out on a large scale, but it can be considered a hope. “This is proof of concept that, through therapeutic vaccination, it is possible to re-educate our cells to control the virus,” said Dr. Beatriz Mothe, from the IrsiCaixa Aids Research Institute in Barcelona, to the British newspaper the Daily Mail. The idea is to help infected people stop using drugs to control the virus for months or even years. The vaccine works by preventing the spread of the virus in the immune system. In patients who took part in the study and where the virus was no longer detected, they have not been taking medication for seven months. For Mitchell Warren, executive director of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, although not yet comprehensive, the result of the study is “interesting and important”. “Long-term systems that don’t require the use of medicines could actually help 37 million people with HIV. We may have a chance to stop the epidemic,” he said. “The idea of the vaccine is to control the virus without having to take medicine every day. This is already a huge step forward,” she added.
