Expert: Kristen Brannock, MPH - 2/18/2004

Question
thanks very much fo your quick replies and sorry to keep asking....

i'm infected since a year ago. i make all blood tests every 3 months and until now, all of them are normal, like a person with NO virus. My inmune system is normal and remains with the same values.
i also know i've been infected for a short time now.

so, my doctor is not giving me any treatment, i mean, i'm not taking any medication yet.
she explained to me that sometimes, virus stays still for year and years and never developes...it's always there but quiet.
o course she told me that "sometimes", to avoid creating any expectation on me....

so, my questions are:

1-WERE THERE INFECTED PEOPLE WHO KEPT THEIR NORMAL INMUNE SYSTEM AND THE VIRUS STILL, WHO NEVER NEEDED MEDICATION ?
OR AFTER SEVERAL YEARS THE VIRUS STARTED TO DEVELOP AND THEY NEEDED TREATMENT ANYWAY ?

2- PEOPLE WHO ARE UNDER TREATMENT AND TAKING MEDICATION, IS THE VIRUS STOPPED OR INEVITABLY IT WILL DEVELOPE AFTER SEVERAL YEARS ?

thanks again for your reply,
gab

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Followup To
Question -
so, the vaccine will only be to prevent infection ? it won't be useful for people already infected ?

is there any cases where someone is infected but the virus never developes ? so, cd4 are always OK and the viral charge never increases ? which means that person is completely normal during all his/her life ?

or the virus, earlier or later will always end up developing ?


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Followup To
Question -
are we such far away from a cure ? how long ?
Answer -
I personally do not believe that there will ever be a "cure" because we usually cannot cure viruses. Scientists are however, working on a vaccine, to prevent infection. I think that this is a much more promising venture. I do not know how long this will take though-I dont think anyone does.
Answer -
A vaccine is to used as a way to prevent infection. It will not be helpful to people already infected.

Being infected means the person has the virus. As of now, there are treatments to help people keep their immune systems healthy longer, but eventually, they progress to AIDS.  

Answer
I do not have an answer to your first question in regards to people that never needed medicine. I have never heard of any cases of people who were HIV+, took no medication and never developed AIDS. That isnt to say there hasnt been some, but I dont know of them.

I think you may be confusing HIV with AIDS, which are two different things. Your second question asks about people taking medicine and the virus. Once someone has HIV, they always have it, even if it is in very small amounts due to medication. It doesnt "stop". For some people, medication can halt its effects on the body to slow the progression to AIDS.