HIV charity chief warns against 'false hope' of scientific breakthrough and calls for more support for patients

Cautious optimism: The CEO of the charity, Ian Green, was himself diagnosed with HIV 20 years ago.
Terrance Higgins Trust
Chloe Chaplain3 October 2016

The chief of a leading HIV charity has praised a potential cure for the virus but warned it should be treated with “cautious optimism” to avoid giving false hope to patients.

Scientists today revealed that a London man may have become the world’s first person to be cured of HIV in a potential groundbreaking step towards a cure for the disease.

The CEO of the Terrence Higgins Trust hailed the development, saying it would change the lives of people who live with the disease and are forced to have regular medication and treatment.

Ian Green said: “This would have a huge impact because the virus would be totally cured rather than treated.

“Any research is a good thing and it is great this is coming from the UK.

“But there has been false hope in the past for people living with HIV so we are approaching this with cautious optimism.”

Promising: Doctors hopeful of a breakthrough in fully curing HIV.
Shutterstock

With current treatment patients have to take a combination of medication each day, usually around the same time.

If taken correctly, this leaves the virus "undetectable" meaning it is not attacking the immune system and cannot be transmitted.

Mr Green, who was himself diagnosed with HIV 20 years ago, said: “It used to be that we had to take the medication religiously, but the treatment that people are offered now is different and there are not as many side effects.”

But he said that some living with HIV become “anxious” about taking their medication correctly and that many suffer from other mental repercussions following a diagnosis.

As a result, Mr Green believes that, alongside working on a cure, charities and organisations should be working to reduce stigma and increase support for patients.

He said: “Statistics show that 20 per cent of those who have been recently diagnosed with HIV have contemplated committing suicide. And there is still a huge amount of stigma facing people who are HIV positive.

"People are reluctant to talk to their employers or to medical professionals about their diagnosis because of the risk of persecution.

“And some are not even getting tested because they are afraid and then they are diagnosed late and don’t have treatment or support.

"I am confident and comfortable talking about my diagnosis but not everyone is.

“Over 100,000 people living with HIV in the UK and it should be treated in the same way other long term illnesses are, like cancer, with the same support and lack of persecution."

The new two-part treatment involves a vaccine which helps the body recognise the HIV-infected cells and also a drug which activates the dormant cells so they can be spotted.

A 44-year-old man, who was previously HIV positive, is one of 50 people trialling the new treatment.

If the disease remains undetectable in the man’s blood, he will become the first person completely cured of HIV.

The “cure” differs from existing treatment because current antiretroviral therapy does not rid the body of the virus or spot dormant infected cells.

For more information about living with HIV and to find out how you can access support visit the Terrence Higgins Trust website.

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