hiv continues to be a major global public health issue, having claimed more than 35 million lives so far. in 2017, 940 000 people died from hiv-related causes globally.
© image | google
an estimated 37 million people in the world live with hiv, according to the joint united nations programme on hiv/aids.
in china, around 1.25 million people are infected, and there are about 80,000 new cases a year, according to the national health commission.
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the who african region is the most affected region, with 25.7 million people living with hiv in 2017.
although hiv/aids cannot currently be cured, many patients infected with the virus can live mostly normal lives with anti-viral treatment that suppresses the virus to keep it at a low level.
© image | news（timothy ray brown, also known as the berlin patient, was the first person to be cured of hiv infection, more than a decade ago.）
on march 4th, an hiv-positive man in britain became the second known adult worldwide to be cleared of the aids virus after he received a bone marrow transplant from an hiv-resistant donor, his doctors said.
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almost three years after he received bone marrow stem cells from a donor with a rare genetic mutation that resists hiv infection – and more than 18 months after he came off antiretroviral drugs – highly sensitive tests still show no trace of the man’s previous hiv infection.
besides, chinese scientists have identified a new protein that restricts hiv infection, a discovery that could pave the way for the development of new drugs against the virus.
© image | google
further research is underway to develop a drug that can inhibit hiv protein. chinese researchers say further work is necessary before clinical trial possible.
the expert said intensive research efforts are being carried out worldwide to find a cure, but many challenges remain.
