Timothy Ray Brown, man thought to be first "cured" of AIDS, says he's still cured

Timothy R. Brown waits to speak at a press conference to announce the formation of the Timothy Ray Brown Foundation and to call for increased efforts to cure AIDS July 24, 2012 in Washington, DC. Brown, previously known as the "Berlin Patient," is considered the only know person to be cured of AIDS.

/ BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI

(CBS/AP) The first person believed to have been cured of AIDS says reports he still has the HIV virus are false.

Pictures: Man "cured" of AIDS: Timothy Ray Brown

Timothy Ray Brown, also known as the "Berlin patient," says doctors have told him he's "cured of AIDS and will remain cured."

Brown had been living in Berlin, Germany during 2007 with both HIV and leukemia, and chemotherapy treatments were making him so sick he was put into a coma to allow his body to recover. Doctors weren't even sure Brown would survive that.

His physician, Dr. Gero Huetter, a blood cancer expert at the University of Berlin, knew that transplanting blood stem cells was the best hope for curing Brown's cancer but after reading a report saying that 1 percent of Caucasians have genetic mutations that make them HIV-resistant, he searched for a tissue match for Brown.

Doctors declared Brown "cured" soon after his blood stem cell transplant.

"I quit taking my HIV medication on the day that I got the transplant and haven't had to take any since," Brown said at the time.

But researchers in California recently found traces of HIV in his tissues. Brown says any remnants of the virus still in his body are dead and can't replicate.

Brown addressed the media in the U.S. for the first time Tuesday, appearing frail but energetic. He announced the formation of a new AIDS foundation in his name.

11 Photos

Man "cured" of AIDS: Timothy Ray Brown

[rider1956]

Let's hope for the best and verify the rest.

[fredisalive]

KnowerseekerReturns, your kama should run over your dogma!

[KnowerseekerReturns]

Yay, now the world will have a reason to purposely murder unborn babies (abort "fetuses") in order to harvest their stem cells to cure AIDS... a disease that, like unwanted babies, entered the world through sexual immorality. Sin will be used to cover sin. Satan is indeed as devious as The Bible says he is.

[Former_Marine_Sgt]

Wow.

Dude - this 'disease' doesn't affect just gay men. That happened to be a convienient vector for the disease to spread.

Go check out Africa - where gays are killed for just being gay - and you'll see how the spread of AIDS has nothing to go with 'gay'.

Your personal bias and bigotry is amazing. Just because in America, people have tied this disease to gays doesn't mean it's 'a gay disease'.

It kills straights who've never had sex outside of marriage just as easily as it does gays.

[Brad Hansen]

I don't understand, HIV entered humans when people slaughtered chimpanzees and butchered them for their meat. So are you saying that eating meat is a sin, or just that eating chimp meat is a sin? And if you think eating meat a sexual act you have some pretty strange dining habits.

And as far as Brown being "cured", tell that to anyone with Shingles who, as a child, was cured of chickenpox. Viruses can remain dormant in your body for decades, only to re-emerge and present new symptoms.

[Calltwoarms]

I pray that Mr. Brown is being realistic. If he still has traces of HIV in his tissues he may be in denial. Lets hope he is cured.

[raymailhot]

This is a good start to show some progress, but.... Good sense should still rule the day!

[Former_Marine_Sgt]

And one should be careful to not be tricked by charletans and liars. the last time I heard someone spouting that "any remnants of the virus still in his body are dead and can't replicate." or any other scientific sounding nonsense, there were selling quack cures for profit....