Team of scientists may have found a path to a cure for HIV

[Verily]

http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/pathologists-believe-they-have-pinpointed-achilles-heel-hiv-16900.html

Just a forewarning, the article is a bit technical, but it does sound very promising. Unfortunately, the description of the cure also makes it sound as if the treatment would be expensive, making it difficult to see how this would help the problem in Africa and the rising threat in India in the short term.

We really need a "general serious discussions" board.

[Chief Justice PiT]

     Wonderful. Hopefully, this will succeed, & be another step on the long path to quelling the threat of serious disease.

[Jacobtm]

Unfortunately, the description of the cure also makes it sound as if the treatment would be expensive, making it difficult to see how this would help the problem in Africa and the rising threat in India in the short term.

Huge amounts of money are now being donated to AIDS research. If the cure was found, hopefully governments, charities and individuals would keep donating equal or greater amounts of money for the purpose of actually implementing the cure.

[Spaghetti Cat]

Great news!

[ottermax]

Wow! Next step toward progress in Africa: a cure (or at least alleviation) for Malaria.

HIV has really hindered progress in Sub-Saharan Africa just as democracy has started to arrive. I hope the South African gov will actually support this cure instead of advocating for garlic.

[memphis]

Just because there may be a cure does not mean that the disease would be eliminated. We can cure a great many diseases (malaria, measles...) that continue to kill countless people in the third world.

[John Dibble]

Unfortunately, the description of the cure also makes it sound as if the treatment would be expensive, making it difficult to see how this would help the problem in Africa and the rising threat in India in the short term.

Actually, from my understanding of biochemistry if this pans out then I don't think it'll be too expensive. The main problem after coverning research costs, provided this pans out, is production of the abzymes. Abzymes are monoclonal antibodies and research is constantly being done to lower the costs of production. Once you've got an efficient method of mass production then the cost of HIV vaccine would be close to the cost of a flu shot.

[Albus Dumbledore]

Sexual revolution 2.0 anyone?

[Verily]

Unfortunately, the description of the cure also makes it sound as if the treatment would be expensive, making it difficult to see how this would help the problem in Africa and the rising threat in India in the short term.

Actually, from my understanding of biochemistry if this pans out then I don't think it'll be too expensive. The main problem after coverning research costs, provided this pans out, is production of the abzymes. Abzymes are monoclonal antibodies and research is constantly being done to lower the costs of production. Once you've got an efficient method of mass production then the cost of HIV vaccine would be close to the cost of a flu shot.

"Expensive" is relative--I doubt many African families could afford flu shots.

[Albus Dumbledore]

So Verily do you agree with this that we could see a new sexual revolution in the developed nations while Africa doesn't really recover from AIDS?

[John Dibble]

Unfortunately, the description of the cure also makes it sound as if the treatment would be expensive, making it difficult to see how this would help the problem in Africa and the rising threat in India in the short term.

Actually, from my understanding of biochemistry if this pans out then I don't think it'll be too expensive. The main problem after coverning research costs, provided this pans out, is production of the abzymes. Abzymes are monoclonal antibodies and research is constantly being done to lower the costs of production. Once you've got an efficient method of mass production then the cost of HIV vaccine would be close to the cost of a flu shot.

"Expensive" is relative--I doubt many African families could afford flu shots.

True, but I would imagine that a combination of subsidies by interested African governments, foreign aid, and charitable contributions would go a long way towards distribution if the vaccine was not expensive by western standards.

Looking it up, the CDC charges about $10 for one dose of flu vaccine. Let's bump up the price to $12 assuming transport costs, paying those administering it, etc. in Africa. If you could raise just one billion dollars for the purpose of vaccinating people in Africa at a cost of $12 per person, you could vaccinate over 83 million people. That's more than three times the number of people currently infected with HIV in Africa.

[Bono]

Wow! Next step toward progress in Africa: a cure (or at least alleviation) for Malaria.

There has been a cure for malaria for hundreds of years.

[opebo]

Is this a cure or a vaccine? 

[John Dibble]

Is this a cure or a vaccine? 

At the moment it isn't either, but reading the article it seems it definitely has the potential to be a preventative vaccine. Also from reading the article it has possible applications for treatment, though the word 'cure' is not used. It's also possible that the vaccine itself will work both preventatively and as an effective treatment.

[Chief Justice PiT]

So Verily do you agree with this that we could see a new sexual revolution in the developed nations while Africa doesn't really recover from AIDS?

     Hopefully, people would show discretion. If a vaccine for HIV appears, that doesn't suddenly mean that Syphilis & Hepatitis suddenly drop off the face of the planet. Then again, they might not.

[opebo]

So Verily do you agree with this that we could see a new sexual revolution in the developed nations while Africa doesn't really recover from AIDS?

     Hopefully, people would show discretion. If a vaccine for HIV appears, that doesn't suddenly mean that Syphilis & Hepatitis suddenly drop off the face of the planet. Then again, they might not.

Syphilis is totally curable and hepatitis isn't normally a sexually transmitted infection.

[Chief Justice PiT]

So Verily do you agree with this that we could see a new sexual revolution in the developed nations while Africa doesn't really recover from AIDS?

     Hopefully, people would show discretion. If a vaccine for HIV appears, that doesn't suddenly mean that Syphilis & Hepatitis suddenly drop off the face of the planet. Then again, they might not.

Syphilis is totally curable and hepatitis isn't normally a sexually transmitted infection.

     Syphilis is curable if you catch it in time. The early symptoms are easily missable & by the time later ones come, it's too late to be cured. Also, Hepatitis B & C can be sexually transmitted, though blood transfusions are a more common source of infection by Hepatitis B.

     At least, that's what I've read on the subjects. They could've made new developments in the mean time.

[Verily]

So Verily do you agree with this that we could see a new sexual revolution in the developed nations while Africa doesn't really recover from AIDS?

     Hopefully, people would show discretion. If a vaccine for HIV appears, that doesn't suddenly mean that Syphilis & Hepatitis suddenly drop off the face of the planet. Then again, they might not.

Syphilis is totally curable and hepatitis isn't normally a sexually transmitted infection.

     Syphilis is curable if you catch it in time. The early symptoms are easily missable & by the time later ones come, it's too late to be cured. Also, Hepatitis B & C can be sexually transmitted, though blood transfusions are a more common source of infection by Hepatitis B.

     At least, that's what I've read on the subjects. They could've made new developments in the mean time.

Hepatitis B and C are both rarely lethal, B especially rarely. There is a vaccine for B but not the much rarer C. Hepatitis A is, however, the most problematic one, and it is not transmitted sexually. Syphilis is nearly always diagnosed at a stage at which it can be cured these days, although that wasn't always the case.

[Verily]

So Verily do you agree with this that we could see a new sexual revolution in the developed nations while Africa doesn't really recover from AIDS?

Define "recover". And no, I don't think a cure or vaccine for HIV would transform society in the way you suggest.

[Bono]

So Verily do you agree with this that we could see a new sexual revolution in the developed nations while Africa doesn't really recover from AIDS?

     Hopefully, people would show discretion. If a vaccine for HIV appears, that doesn't suddenly mean that Syphilis & Hepatitis suddenly drop off the face of the planet. Then again, they might not.

Syphilis is totally curable and hepatitis isn't normally a sexually transmitted infection.

     Syphilis is curable if you catch it in time. The early symptoms are easily missable & by the time later ones come, it's too late to be cured. Also, Hepatitis B & C can be sexually transmitted, though blood transfusions are a more common source of infection by Hepatitis B.

     At least, that's what I've read on the subjects. They could've made new developments in the mean time.

Hepatitis B and C are both rarely lethal, B especially rarely. There is a vaccine for B but not the much rarer C. Hepatitis A is, however, the most problematic one, and it is not transmitted sexually. Syphilis is nearly always diagnosed at a stage at which it can be cured these days, although that wasn't always the case.

Hepatitis C isn't rare, and there is a much greater case-fatality rate for it than for either B or A. I suggest you recheck your sources. Hepatitis C is also also rarely transmitted by sex. 

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Great news!

^^^^^^^^^^^6

[opebo]

Great news!

^^^^^^^^^^^6

Sarcasm?

[Albus Dumbledore]

If gays are dead he can't minister to them.

[หมูเด้ง]

So, AIDS isn't invincible after all. Well, hooray for the UT Medical School.

[John Dibble]

So, AIDS isn't invincible after all. Well, hooray for the UT Medical School.

Well, it hasn't been invincible for many years now so long as you've had the money to keep up treatment.