Why it’s so hard to cure HIV/AIDS - Janet Iwasa
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TEDEd Animation
Let’s Begin…
In 2008, something incredible happened: a man was cured of HIV. In over 70 million HIV cases, this was a first, and, so far, a last, and we don’t yet understand exactly how he was cured. But if we can cure people of various diseases, like malaria and hepatitis C, why can’t we cure HIV? Janet Iwasa examines the specific traits of the HIV virus that make it so difficult to cure.
The “Berlin patient” – the only person known to be cured of HIV, mentioned at the beginning of the lesson – was HIV+ when he started treatment for leukemia using chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants. Years later, and long after ceasing his HIV medication, he has continued to be free of HIV. How do you think his cancer therapy may have contributed to his cure?
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Janet Iwasa
- Director Javier Saldeña
- Animator Javier Saldeña
- Narrator Pen-Pen Chen
