Teenager infected with HIV before birth healthy after 12 years without treatment

First case of long-term remission gives scientists new insights into the potential effectiveness of early HIV detection and treatment

A French teenager who was infected with HIV as a baby and given intensive drug therapy in early childhood has lived for more than 12 years without any treatment, raising hopes among scientists searching for a cure for Aids.

The case of the 18-year-old was presented at an Aids conference in Vancouver, Canada, by doctors at the Institut Pasteur who treated her. Like the so-called Mississippi baby, she became infected before birth and received drug treatment in the first weeks of her life.