HIV immunity breakthrough

For some time it has been known that some individuals are immune to HIV. Despite being repeatedly exposed to the virus they consistently fail to contract it. Researchers looking into this phenomenon think that they’ve isolated the cause.

A faulty protein (CKR-5) in the immune system seems to be responsible. Though a vaccine may be a long way off, this is the most promising breakthrough to date.

In the US, Dr. Richard Kaup of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center said "It's a rare individual. Within the Western Hemisphere, 1 percent inherit the gene allowing them to resist HIV".

Belgian scientists reported the same findings in the journal Nature. They found the mutation in Western Europeans but not in people from Central Africa and Japan.

This is all the detail we have at present.

Source: BBC Television News and CNN.