COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) -
Physicians in the Midlands are what would you call cautiously
optimistic since the news broke of a toddler being cured of HIV in
Mississippi.
"It's promising, and it just shows us that we need
to more research before it's implemented into practice," said Dr.
Rebecca Widener.
Widener treats young people with HIV and AIDS
daily. She says HIV can become undetectable when her patients take their
medications on a regular basis. The study is believable, but she's
careful not to throw around the word "cure".
"In the context of HIV, more research needs to be done before we can assign the word 'cure' to it," said Widener.
But
Widener admits it has the potential to be a game changer in the world
of HIV and aids. In South Carolina, the number of people infected is
still staggering. Numbers are still increasing. especially in the
African-American community.
The Centers for Disease Control
reports as of 2011, there are more than 14,000 adults and adolescents in
our state living with HIV and AIDS. Studies also show the rate of
newly-reported HIV and AIDS cases among African Americans in South
Carolina is eight times that of whites.
"The numbers of adults and
adolescents living with HIV in the state of the South Carolina are
pretty comparable to the larger metropolitan areas across the United
States," said Widener.
Even though the disease is no longer a
death sentence like it was once thought to be, Widener says she hopes
this case in Mississippi puts HIV and AIDS back in the spotlight.
Prevention and protection are still key.
Copyright 2013 WIS. All rights reserved.
