By RON WINSLOW The report that a 2½-year- old Mississippi baby
appears to be cured of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has
provoked intense interest, excitement and some skepticism among
AIDS researchers and the community at large. The toddler's case,
if confirmed in further research, could have important
implications for treatment of more than 300,000 babies born with
the virus each year—mostly in the developing world. The baby is
the second person ever documented to be cured of the virus
during the 32-year global AIDS epidemic. The first, a man named
Timothy Brown and known as the Berlin patient, was cured as an
adult as a result of a bone-marrow transplant he received to
treat his leukemia. Here are answers to some questions raised by
the report, which was disclosed Sunday and formally presented
Monday at the annual Conference on Retroviruses and
Opportunistic Infections in Atlanta. Q. Beyond the report of the
cure itself, what stands out about this case? A. Two important
details are these: The baby was st