Lesson #137

HIV is eliminated in a second patient, but a true cure is a long way off

The global AIDS epidemic has killed 40 million people in just under 40 years. In all that time, only two people have been "cured" of HIV, the virus that causes the deadly disease. The first case was twelve years ago; the second was just announced. Unfortunately, the "cure" is worse than the disease: both patients received a bone-marrow transplant from a donor with a very specific genetic mutation. For that reason, the cure is not available to most patients with HIV. Still, it may lead to future gene therapies that could finally become a true cure. Plus, learn the English phrasal verb "fight off."