Woman Apparently Cured Of HIV Using Umbilical Cord Blood

FEB 15 2022·Updated JAN 3 2023

Story

Image credit: NIAD [via Forbes]

The Facts

A woman at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center has reportedly been cured of HIV.
Forbes
She has shown no signs of infection since ending treatment in October 2020.
Forbes
As part of her therapy, she received a transplant of umbilical-cord stem cells containing a mutation that blocks HIV, as well as stem cells from an adult relative.
Forbes
She's the fourth person and the first woman to be cured. The virus has never been treated with umbilical cord blood before.
Forbes
The treatment, however, is risky and therefore only suitable for those already suffering from a potentially fatal condition.
Forbes

Sources Split

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RIGHT

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ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

This is a massive leap forward for science and medicine. This breakthrough has opened the door to curing dozens more HIV patients every year and saving countless more lives.

ABC News

Narrative B

While remarkable, this doesn't bring us any closer to curing the 37 million - mostly Sub-Saharan African - people living with HIV. The treatment's risks make it suitable only for a very select class of people; if we truly hope to eradicate HIV we should focus on developing vaccines and drugs instead.