With nearly 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS as of 2016, it’s no secret that the virus has caused a highly concerning pandemic, especially in certain areas where it’s found at a higher prevalence than normal. Although that statistic equates to about 0.57% of the world’s population – roughly 7 billion – the relative rarity of the disease doesn’t matter to those who suffer from it and their families. Due to the virus causing a significant loss in bodily defenses, it can greatly impair a person’s quality of life as it breaks down the immune system slowly, particularly in the later stages. Currently the most common approach to treatment is using a wide range of drugs to attempt to compensate for the compromised immunity. However, many researchers are still hopeful that we could one day develop a true cure. But just how possible is that really? Here are a few ways it might be achieved in the near future:
Emerging Miracle Drugs
According to a recent report in Council Chronicle, specialists in Israel have a developed a shockingly effective drug that can reduce the blood levels of the virus by up to 97%. Although that still leaves some virus remaining dormant or in small numbers, with such a drastic reduction in the infection, patients could almost completely avoid the disastrous immune altering effects. The new drug is called Gomorra, apparently linked to the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah, and it has yet to be extensively tested for possible side effects. In vitro study is also currently lacking, but the test tube results alone are promising.
Can Full Blood Transfusions Help?
Following the basic logic that AIDS levels are based on the amount of the virus present in the blood, one might assume that drawing out the infected blood and replacing it with clean blood via a transfusion could work. Unfortunately, the virus is also stored within tissues and lymph nodes, so there would still be reservoirs left in the body even after the most thorough transfusion possible. However, it is possible that new transfusion and drug technology could allow for an almost complete cure if the blood is treated with a drug like the aforementioned Gomorra during the transfusion process.
The Challenge of Raising Such a Tiny Piece of Nature
Unfortunately, we may never see the day when the AIDS virus is completely wiped off the face of the Earth, as the process required to achieve that would probably damage other microbiological systems, if it were possible to begin with. Additionally, even if you could hypothetically eradicate the virus from the biosphere, it would likely re-emerge from the predecessor viruses from which it evolved originally, so you would have to not only erase AIDS but also the family of viruses related to it. Thus, with a full-on quarantine seeming inhumane and removal of the virus from nature seeming impossible, it appears that an effective in vitro cure is the most probable solution.