Reham nightmare almost over

The 12-year-old Saudi girl from Jazan who accidentally received an HIV-positive blood transfusion six months ago has since constantly tested negative at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSHRC).
HIV experts at Brigham Women’s Hospital in the United States also confirmed the result after tests.
“Prompt diagnosis, initiation of antiretroviral therapy and hospital-based observation by a Saudi medical team in Jazan and Riyadh have all helped prevent the HIV infection from spreading in the patient,” a KFSHRC official said in a statement to the SPA on Thursday.
The officials added that the antibodies in the blood of Reham Hakami likely came from infected blood and were not made by the patient in response to a viral infection.
“The observation that the antibody levels decline over time without direct detection of virus, even after antiretroviral therapy was stopped, confirms that the patient does not have any sign of HIV infection,” the statement said.
The patient will continue to be monitored closely in order to ensure her health after hospital discharge, said Prof. Sami Al-Hajar, head of KFSHRC’s Infectious Diseases at the Department of Pediatrics, and Dr. Timothy Henrich, an expert in HIV diseases at the US Hospital.