For only the second time in the entire world, Doctors have cured a patient with HIV.  Doctors in the U.S. say they’ve effectively cured a baby who was born with the virus that causes AIDS.  This startling development could sharply reduce the number of kids living with the HIV.

Doctors in Mississippi say early treatment was the key.  They aggressively treated the baby with a three drug antiretroviral cocktail starting at about 30 hours after birth, which is a departure from the standard treatment plan for babies with HIV.  The kid is two and a half years old now, hasn’t needed medication for HIV for a year, and appears to be virus-free.

Scientists and Doctors aren’t really sure about why this method worked, but it is hoped the new therapy will help them eradicate the virus in newborns.

If the report is confirmed, the baby is the second person known to have been cured of HIV, the first was a middle aged man known as the “Berlin Patient”. 

The baby’s lead physician and team will present their findings to the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Atlanta when Monday rolls around in America.