Every year on World AIDS Day, an appeal is made across the world to end the HIV epidemic, but the question still remains the same. Despite so much scientific progress, why has a cure for HIV not been found yet? In fact, HIV is considered the most dangerous virus because it targets the body’s immune system and dodges medicines by repeatedly changing its form. The HIV virus attacks the body’s CD4 Plus T cells, which protect us from diseases. As these cells die, the body’s immunity weakens. This condition later takes the form of AIDS, where even a minor infection can be fatal.

HIV rapidly changing impersonator virus

HIV is among the fastest mutating viruses in the world. Every time it makes its copy, small changes occur in it. For this reason, a vaccine is not able to affect every form of it. This is the reason why HIV is called imposter virus. The biggest strength of HIV is its ability to hide. This virus can remain hidden in an inactive state in places like the intestine, brain and lymph nodes, which is called latent reservoir in medical language. Whereas ART medicines only control the active virus, but they have no effect on the hidden virus. Apart from this, this virus becomes active again as soon as the medicine is stopped.

No cure, only control possible

Work is going on on two types of targets regarding the treatment of HIV. First is sterilizing cure, in which the virus is completely eliminated from the body and functional cure, in which the virus remains present but never becomes active. At present, except for some very rare cases, complete cure of HIV has not been possible. ART medicines definitely reduce the virus to undetectable levels, but are not able to completely eliminate it from the body.

Research and funding is also a big challenge

Research on HIV continues, but sometimes due to lack of funding and other epidemics, its research gets delayed. This is the reason why rapid and sustained progress has not been made towards HIV cure. Whereas the initial symptoms of HIV are often like normal viral ones.

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