Health

(NEW YORK) — Everyone has different relationships with diet and sugar, but when that sweet tooth turns on, it can be hard to combat cravings in a healthy way.

ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton lent her expertise as a nutritionist to break down the overall impact sugar has on our bodies as well as some alternate ways to satisfy that sweet tooth.

How much added sugar is recommended for adults?

The brain, as with every cell in our bodies, needs glucose to function, so while not all sugar is bad, too much added sugar can pose problems.

For most adult women, the American Heart Association suggests a stricter added-sugar limit of no more than 100 calories per day, which is equal to about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams; for most men, the suggestion is no more than 150 calories per day, which is about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams of sugar.

However, common processed snacks and drinks can contain much more than the recommended amount, which is why reading labels is so pivotal.

For example, a 12-ounce can of cola contains 10 1/4 teaspoons of sugar; a 12-ounce glass of orange juice contains 13 teaspoons of sugar; a cup of frosted corn flakes cereal has 3.65 teaspoons; and sweetened applesauce has a little over 5 teaspoons in one cup.

Negative impact of too much sugar in the body

Using a wet sponge, Dr. Ashton demonstrated how too much sugar can be damaging to the way a body processes and stores it.

The water in the sponge represents insulin — a hormone mainly responsible for regulating blood sugars that allows cells to take in the sugar — and when a small amount of sugar is sprinkled evenly over the surface, the sugar is absorbed quickly and easily. But on a second sponge topped with heaping spoonfuls of sugar, the sponge is unable to absorb all of the water, which is what it would look like if insulin was overloaded with sugar intake.

“You take a lot of sugar, your body can overwhelmed and you develop what’s called insulin resistance and that sugar stays there. It then gets deposited as fat, it causes inflammation,” Dr. Ashton explained. “Fat is hormonally active tissue, and then that gets you on the path to cancers, cardiovascular disease.”

How sugar affects pregnant women, in utero environment

Dr. Ashton merged her combined knowledge and two specialties as an OB-GYN and nutritionist to explain the impact sugar can have on a baby in pregnant women.

“There is good data for this phenomenon known as epigenetics, meaning [when] a pregnant woman consumes too much sugar, the fetus sees that high sugar environment, and then there are changes in DNA and increases the risk of that offspring then develops metabolic syndrome Type 2 diabetes, obesity,” she said.

Top sugar substitutes and tips

Dr. Ashton suggests people “take a five-day, two-day approach” which means being very strict Monday through Friday, then easing up for two days.

“Read the labels, use those spices as substitutes and be patient with yourself because it takes time to retrain your taste buds,” she said of three easy ways to cut down on sugar.

Swerve, avocado, whole fruit like citrus or apples, and honey are “all great sugar substitutes if you’re cooking or baking,” Ashton added.

Finally, anything that tastes “sweet” tends to produce the same reaction in the brain, activating the “reward center” and making you want more.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — After decades of research, a first-of-its kind vaccine designed to protect newborns against RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, could be approved by August.

Pfizer, the maker of the vaccine, announced Tuesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted its application for review and will make a decision on whether or not to approve the vaccine by August 2023.

“If approved, RSVpreF would help protect infants at their first breath from the devastating effects of this infectious disease, which though well-known, has been particularly evident throughout this RSV season,” Annaliesa Anderson, Ph.D., Pfizer’s senior vice president and chief scientific officer of vaccine research and development, said in a statement. “We look forward to progressing the review of Pfizer’s RSV maternal vaccine candidate with the FDA and other regulatory authorities, given its significant potential to positively contribute to global health in the prevention of RSV in infants.”

Pfizer’s protein-based RSV vaccine works by vaccinating a pregnant person, who then passes on some protective antibodies to the infant.

The company has also said the vaccine has shown promising data in adults 65 and older.

RSV usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms, but can become serious, especially for infants and older adults. Premature infants and young children with weakened immune systems, congenital heart or chronic lung disease, and adults with chronic health conditions like heart or lung disease are among the most vulnerable to complications from RSV, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Infants who are 12 weeks of age or younger at the start of RSV season are also at greater risk for serious illness.

The virus is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in kids under the age of 1 in the U.S., according to the CDC.

According to data collected from preliminary studies, Pfizer’s vaccine was 82% effective at protecting newborns, within the first three months of life, from severe RSV illness. Within six months of an infants’ life, the vaccine effectiveness dropped to 69%, according to Pfizer.

The company announced in November that given promising preliminary data on their maternal RSV vaccine for newborns, the FDA granted a green light to stop enrolling new patients in the vaccine’s studies.

“Among very young children, particularly those [younger] than 6 months of age, we have a high probability now of protecting against serious illness and hospitalization,” Pfizer’s Dr. William Gruber, who has been personally working on the RSV vaccine for over 40 years, told ABC News in November. “To be able to be in a position where we have the potential to provide 80% or more protection against serious disease is a dream fulfilled.”

Currently, there is no approved RSV vaccine.

Pfizer’s vaccine would be the first RSV vaccine given to pregnant people to protect infants. The company said that there were “no safety concerns” for vaccinated pregnant participants and their newborns during the trial.

If the FDA approves the vaccine in August, it will then go to the CDC for final approval.

The FDA is also currently reviewing nirsevimab, a drug that is not a vaccine but a monoclonal antibody designed to protect infants from RSV complications. The medication, developed by Sanofi and AstraZeneca, is administered to infants as a one-time injection after birth.

Nirsevimab is already approved in Europe and the United Kingdom, according to Sanofi, and was accepted for FDA review in January.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) has accepted the Biologics License Application (BLA) for nirsevimab for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract disease in newborns and infants entering or during their first RSV season and for children up to 24 months of age who remain vulnerable to severe RSV disease through their second RSV season.

Nirsevimab is being developed jointly by Sanofi and AstraZeneca and, if approved, would be the first protective option for the broad infant population, including those born healthy, at term or preterm, or with specific health conditions. The FDA has indicated they will work to expedite their review. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act date, the FDA target action date for their decision, is in the third quarter of 2023.

The news comes as pediatric hospitals across the country have experienced a rise in the number of patients admitted with RSV. Infections due to RSV spiked by 69% last fall and appeared earlier than usual, according to the CDC.

Late last year, pediatric bed occupancy in the U.S., hit its highest in two years, with 75% of the estimated 40,000 beds filled, according to an ABC News analysis.

Infants and toddlers can usually recover at home with RSV unless they start to have difficulty breathing, increased irritability, are not eating or drinking, or appear more tired than usual, in which case parents should contact their pediatrician and/or take their child to the emergency room.

At-home care for kids with RSV can include Tylenol and Motrin for fevers, as well as making sure the child is hydrated and eating.

Doctors tell ABC News that parents can help protect their kids from RSV by continuing to follow as much as possible the three Ws of the coronavirus pandemic: Wear a mask, wash your hands and watch your distance.

Infants who are either born prematurely (less than 35 weeks) or born with chronic lung disease may benefit from a medication to prevent complications of RSV since they are at increased risk of severe disease. Parents should discuss this with their pediatrician.

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(COLUMBUS, OH) — Abortion rights supporters in Ohio took the first step Tuesday in potentially getting the issue on the ballot in November in a statewide election.

Two groups — Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom and Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights — submitted language to the state Attorney General’s Office that could have residents vote on whether or not they want a constitutional amendment to protect abortion access.

Currently, abortion is legal in Ohio up until 22 weeks’ gestation, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Gov. Mike DeWine signed a law in April 2019 prohibiting abortions after cardiac activity can be detected, which is typically around the six-week mark, before many women even know they’re pregnant.

The law was blocked but temporarily went into effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer. However, in October, a judge issued an injunction while litigation plays out.

The proposal from the two groups would amend Article I, Section 22 of Ohio’s constitution and state every individual has a right “to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions” on contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one own’s pregnancy, miscarriage care and abortion.

The amendment would also prevent state officials from interfering, prohibiting or penalizing a person for making choices related to reproductive health.

“Ohioans are perilously close to losing access to safe, legal, comprehensive reproductive medical care,” OPRR executive director Dr. Lauren Beene said in a statement. “As we saw first-hand when Ohio’s abortion ban went into effect last year, withholding that care puts people’s lives and health at risk.”

Her statement continued, “This commonsense amendment ensures that physicians will be able to provide the care our patients need and deserve free from government interference.”

The move in Ohio comes after five states put abortion on the ballot during the 2022 midterm elections. Voters enshrined abortion rights in their state constitutions in three states — California, Michigan and Vermont — and voted against further restricting access to abortion services in two states — Kentucky and Montana.

It also comes several months after Kansas became the first state to leave abortion up to voters following the Supreme Court’s decision. Residents decisively rejected a bid in August to remove abortion protections from its state constitution.

Anti-abortion groups have vowed to fight the proposed constitutional amendment, including Ohio Right to Life.

“The language of this ballot initiative is extremely vague, making it even more dangerous than we originally believed it would be,” said Elizabeth Marbach, communication director for the group, in a statement. “They believe that they can rewrite our state Constitution to eliminate all protections for the unborn, including abortions after the point at which babies feel pain — endangering the health and wellbeing of both women and children.”

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(EAST PALESTINE, Ohio) — Standing around her kitchen sink, East Palestine, Ohio, resident Carolyn Brown told Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, EPA Administrator Michael Regan and other officials that it is the “uncertainty” that weighs on her, and her community, right now.

“There’s so much uncertainty about it. And that really gets to me emotionally,” Brown said. “My main concern is for the people that was closest to that accident, and a lot of them are younger than me and have children and — I just feel — it’s hard to see people going through things, you know, and the uncertainty of everything,” she said, her voice quavering slightly.

“You don’t know who to trust, that’s a big part of it, the uncertainty, you don’t know if you’re going to have to move,” she said. “We need to feel that we’re safe.”

It was 18 days ago that 50 cars on a Norfolk Southern Railroad train traveling from Illinois to Pennsylvania derailed in East Palestine. Eleven of those cars contained hazardous materials, five of which contained vinyl chloride, a highly volatile colorless gas produced for commercial uses. Officials decided, in order to avoid a major explosion, to evacuate the area around the derailment and burn off the chemicals.

In the days since they were allowed to return, residents have complained of itchy eyes and skin and respiratory problems.

“We know this is a long road, and we will be here until the end,” Regan said Tuesday.

DeWine said the community would not be forgotten, even after the cameras were gone. He said that testing would continue and the health clinic, set to open Tuesday, would be there to address people’s concerns.

Brown’s house is connected to the municipal water supply, she said, and DeWine told her the testing had come back so far showing that water was “safe.”

“We just need to continue to test. We think things are alright. We know things are all right now. And we just need to make sure that in the future they’re all right as well,” he said.

“So, it’s safe to drink the water?” Brown asked. “Because I haven’t even brushed my teeth with it.”

The officials assured her that it was safe.

“Did someone want to drink the water?” Brown asked.

In a chorus, the officials said, absolutely. Brown poured glasses of water from her tap. The group clinked glasses and took a sip.

“We believe in science,” Regan said. “We don’t feel like we’re being your guinea pig, but we don’t mind proving to you that we believe the water is safe.”

The officials next visited the home of a former chemistry teacher, Andris Baputnis. They drank his tap water too.

An EPA official demonstrated the sensitivity of the air quality monitors they’re using.

“As you can see in your home right now, it fluctuates a little bit,” the official said. “It’ll pick up like, hairspray … like when I hold it close to my body, it’ll pick up my deodorant. … So, that’s how sensitive these things are and that’s what we’ve been using to screen the homes and we assume it’s worst case until we can prove otherwise.”

“If there’s anything we can do at EPA, please let us know,” Regan told Baputnis.

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(NEW YORK) — ABC News’ Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts said she is “beaming in gratitude” as she marks the 10th anniversary of her return to GMA after undergoing a lifesaving bone marrow transplant.

On Feb. 20, 2013, Roberts returned to the GMA set after spending nearly six months off the air while undergoing treatment.

“I have been waiting 174 days to say this, ‘Good morning, America,'” Roberts said in her first on-camera remarks upon her return.

Nearly one year prior, in June 2012, Roberts announced to GMA viewers that she had been diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a condition that occurs when blood cells don’t form and don’t work properly, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Roberts, who years earlier had beat breast cancer, would go on to endure months of treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

On Sept. 20, 2013, Roberts underwent a lifesaving bone marrow transplant using stem cells from her sister Sally-Ann Roberts, who was her perfect match.

“I was blessed to have the perfect match, the greatest gift from my sister Sally-Ann,” Roberts said Tuesday on GMA. “In those challenging moments to follow, focusing in on the fight and not the fright during my intensive treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering.”

Roberts shared her health journey with GMA viewers, following a lesson she said she learned from her beloved mother, Lucimarian Roberts, to “make my mess my message.”

Her hope, she said, in sharing her own story was to “help others through their own journey.”

That hope continued for Roberts when she returned to the GMA anchor desk on Feb. 20, 2013.

“Those 174 days there was a lot of challenges. There was a lot of fear,” Roberts said. “I was really grateful to be able to once again say, ‘Good morning, America,’ and also grateful and hopeful that by being back, I could somehow be a symbol to others going through something that this too shall pass.”

In the decade since her return to GMA, Roberts has continued to “make her mess her message” by raising awareness about the need for bone marrow donation.

While Roberts’ sister was luckily her perfect match, about 70% of patients on bone marrow registry lists do not have a family match and rely on anonymous donors for a cure, according to the Be The Match registry, a nonprofit organization operated by the National Marrow Donor Program, which manages the world’s largest bone marrow donor registry.

Even then, a patient’s chance of having a matched, available donor on the Be The Match registry ranges from 29% to 79%, depending on the patient’s ethnic background.

Over the past decade, Roberts and GMA have continued to report extensively about blood stem cell transplants, which can cure or treat more than 75 different diseases, such as leukemias and lymphomas, and spread awareness of the importance of the Be The Match registry.

Now more than ever the need is urgent as over 12,000 people are diagnosed each year with conditions that require a blood stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor, according to Be The Match.

Be The Match reports regional and national recruitment efforts decreased 36% during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and that only 50% of people on the registry will go on to make a donation when they’re a match for a patient in need.

Be The Match has put a call out in particular for younger donors under the age of 40, as research has shown younger donors help improve overall outcomes for patients, according to the Mayo Clinic.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Roberts’ return to GMA, the show partnered with Be The Match to host bone marrow registry drives across the country.

The effort focused particularly on college campuses in order to reach donors under the age of 40.

“Still a decade later, our hope is to inspire others to help others be a match,” Roberts said Tuesday, adding that she is “filled with gratitude” for the “love, support and prayers” she has received over the years.

Learn how to take the first step to sign up to become a Be The Match bone marrow donor today.

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(NEW YORK) — A relative of an 11-year-old boy who died after injuring his ankle on a treadmill is speaking out to share a warning about his health condition.

Jesse Brown, a fifth grade student from Winter Park, Florida, was using a treadmill at a gym when he rolled his ankle, his cousin Megan Brown told ABC New’s Good Morning America.

The otherwise healthy 11-year-old was healing from the ankle injury when he developed a red and purple rash on his leg, according to Brown.

Jesse was rushed to the emergency room and then admitted to the intensive care unit, where tests confirmed he had invasive group A strep infection, according to Brown.

“The doctor said that he could have had a scratch on his ankle, from when he fell,” Brown told GMA in an interview that aired Feb. 19. “And maybe there was strep A at the gym and maybe that’s how he contracted it.”

Jesse died just a few days after he was hospitalized, according to Brown.

“Jesse was extremely outgoing and he was hilarious,” she said. “Everyone that was around him had the best things to say about him.”

After his death, the local school district that Jesse attended started a memorial fund to raise money for Jesse’s family.

“Jesse was kind and compassionate, looked out for others, adventurous, and truly an amazing friend and classmate,” the Foundation for Orange County Public Schools said in a statement. “He also knew how to make the most of fun times with friends outside and lived life to the fullest with his BMX and dirt bike racing.”

The statement continued, “Jesse worked hard and had a huge heart. He was one of our patrols that worked to keep the school safe, but also worked to make sure everyone started their day with a smile.”

What to know about risks of invasive group A strep

Jesse’s death due to an invasive group A strep (iGAS) comes as children’s hospitals and health agencies across the country are continuing to monitor a possible rise in cases.

After a lull in cases of invasive group A strep during the coronavirus pandemic, hospitals in states including Colorado, Texas and Arizona say they’re seeing more cases in children than are typical.

Two children in the Denver area have died from the infection, state health officials said in December.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said in December it is looking into reports of a possible increase in infections in the U.S.

“It’s possible that there may be increases in iGAS infections this year, as is being observed for other infectious diseases that spread person to person,” the CDC said in a statement.

Invasive group A strep is a dangerous but rare disease that leads to around 1,500 to 2,300 deaths in the United States annually, according to the CDC. The agency says between 14,000 and 25,000 cases usually occur each year.

The infections occur when strep A bacteria, which typically causes mild infections like a sore throat, spreads to other parts of the body like the bloodstream or spinal fluid. That can cause “flesh-eating” skin infections, pneumonia or toxic shock syndrome.

The condition is usually treated in the hospital with IV antibiotics.

Doctors tell ABC News that all cases of strep should be seen by a doctor, severe or not. Parents should be on the lookout for fever, sore throat, trouble swallowing, or kids not acting like themselves.

Parents should also keep an eye out for signs of toxic shock syndrome and “flesh-eating” skin infections, which can be a sign that a strep infection is invasive. Symptoms of toxic shock include fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea and vomiting, according to the CDC.

Early signs of a serious skin infection include a fast-spreading swollen area of skin, severe pain and fever. Later on it might look like blisters, changes in skin color or pus at the infected area.

Because strep spreads through coughs and sneezes and surfaces, practicing good hygiene — like washing hands, surfaces and plates or glasses — can keep it from spreading.

Parents should also make sure children are up-to-date on flu and COVID-19 vaccinations in order to help protect them.

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(NEW YORK) — Over the weekend, former President Jimmy Carter entered home hospice care, the Carter Center announced.

The center said in a statement that the oldest living president, who is 98 years old, had elected “to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention” after several hospital stays.

“He has the full support of his family and his medical team. The Carter family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers,” the statement read.

Experts explained to ABC News what it means to enter hospice care and what it may entail:

What is hospice care?

Hospice care is a type of end-of-life care meant to maximize the comfort and quality of life of a terminal patient.

“Typically, hospice care requires a referral from a physician who agreed that hospice care is appropriate for the patient and so we certified that the patient’s life expectancy is six months or less, based on our best knowledge and data we have if the disease runs its expected course,” said Dr. Jay Bhatt, an internist and geriatrician in Chicago and an ABC News contributor.

Bhatt said a patient suffering from several conditions can enter hospice including cancer, dementia, kidney failure, recurrent infection and more.

“Entering hospice means your caregivers are focused on managing your symptoms…and it’s oriented around alleviating suffering, during that projected time of life,” he said.

Several needs are addressed when a patient is in hospice care including physical, psychological, social, and spiritual, according to the National Association of Home Care and Hospice.

Hospice care may be misconstrued as a process used to accelerate the worsening of someone’s condition so that they may pass, but that is not the case, Bhatt said.

“This is not intended to speed up the dying process or reduce their time that they may have,” he said. “It really is focused on addressing physical health, managing their symptoms that create suffering, [and] their emotional and spiritual health.”

What is included in hospice care?

Hospice care can include a broad set of services including physician care; nursing care; a home health aide; social work services; physical, occupational, and speech therapy; and bereavement services for the patient’s family, according to the NAHCH.

These services can help manage medication for pain or other conditions, supply emotional support for mental health needs and therapy for mobility that help alleviate suffering, Bhatt said.

“Hospice care at home relies primarily on the family or personally paid caregivers to provide that day-to-day care,” he said. “But you can have a nurse or physician on call 24 hours a day to help with medications for pain or trouble breathing [or] other symptoms.”

If symptoms become too difficult to manage, a person can receive inpatient hospice care at a facility.

While hospice care may be covered by employer-provided insurance or private insurance, it began being covered by Medicare in 1983.

According to the NAHCH, more than 1.6 Medicare beneficiaries received hospice services in 2019 with Medicare expense totaling about $20.9 billion.

Qualifying for hospice care

Experts told ABC News that it’s a complex process filled with hours of discussion before a patient can receive hospice care.

A hospice physician and a regular physician, if the patient has one, have to certify that a patient is terminally ill. The patient has to accept the care as opposed to care to cure their illness, and the patient has to sign a statement choosing hospice care.

“Clearly, the recognition is that Jimmy Carter lived an incredible life; we should all be so lucky to live a life that is so full, rich and rewarding,” said Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, and an ABC News contributor. “At the end of the day, it’s about patient-centered decisions and their wishes and in this particular case, I’m sure there’s been a lot of consultation with medical teams, and family.”

He continued, “These things are are complicated, you know, long conversations that require many layers of discussion within that, you know, reaching out very quick decisions that are, they’re done without, you know, without the guidance of the whole care team and family.”

How is it different from palliative care?

While hospice care and palliative care are often used interchangeably, they’re not the same, experts said.

Both are about offering compassionate comfort care, but patients in palliative care might have their symptoms treated as well as receiving treatment with the intent of curing their illness.

Additionally, while hospice care requires physicians to sign off, palliative care can begin whenever the physician and patient decide and at any stage or illness — and the illness is not required to be terminal.

“Hospice care is really focused highly on the comfort of that patient,” Brownstein said. “So, comfort care without any sort of intention for cure, whereas palliative care is broader ’cause it’s comfort care, but it could have some component of curative intent.”

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(EAST PALESTINE, Ohio) — A medical clinic is opening Tuesday in East Palestine, Ohio, more than two weeks after a train carrying hazardous materials and toxic chemicals derailed near the town.

The clinic, which will be held at the First of Christ Church in East Palestine, is being jointly run by the Ohio Department of Health and the Columbiana County Health Department and will be supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“Last week, I was in East Palestine and listened as many area residents expressed their concerns and fears,” ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said in a statement. “I heard you, the state heard you, and now the Ohio Department of Health and many of our partner agencies are providing this clinic, where people can come and discuss these vital issues with medical providers.”

The train was operated by Norfolk Southern Railway. Hundreds of people were forced to flee the area and the incident has sparked intense concern over residents’ immediate health and safety as well as any long-term consequences from the release of dangerous materials near their homes.

Initially there were concerns about high levels of vinyl chloride, a colorless gas that burns easily and is associated with an increased risk of several cancers including brain, liver and lung cancers as well as lymphoma and leukemia, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Data showed last week that more toxic chemicals were aboard the derailed train — and subsequently released into the air and soil — than originally reported.

Among these materials is ethyl acrylate, a colorless liquid and probable carcinogen which can cause drowsiness, lethargy, headaches and nausea, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Also found was isobutylene, a highly flammable gas known as a simple asphyxiant, or a gas which can become so concentrated that it can displace oxygen and lead to rapid suffocation, according to the American Chemical Society.

As of Sunday, the EPA said there have been no air quality or water quality concerns identified through sampling. Heavily contaminated soil, however, continues to be removed and odors still linger in the community.

Additionally, Northern Southern continues to scrap and remove rail cars from the derailment site and removed contaminated liquids from storm drains in the area, according to the EPA.

At the clinic, residents will be able to discuss concerns and receive a health assessment to see if they are suffering from exposure symptoms. If needed, clinicians will make referrals for patients. The clinic will open at noon on Tuesday and remain open every day through Saturday.

“We encourage anyone who has medical concerns or questions to take advantage of this resource,” Vanderhoff said.

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(NEW YORK) — Researchers are announcing that a 53-year-old man in Germany has been cured of HIV.

Referred to as “the Dusseldorf patient” to protect his privacy, researchers said he is the fifth confirmed case of an HIV cure. Although the details of his successful treatment were first announced at a conference in 2019, researchers could not confirm he had been officially cured at that time.

Today, researchers announced the Dusseldorf patient still has no detectable virus in his body, even after stopping his HIV medication four years ago.

“It’s really cure, and not just, you know, long term remission,” said Dr. Bjorn-Erik Ole Jensen, who presented details of the case in a new publication in “Nature Medicine.”

“This obviously positive symbol makes hope, but there’s a lot of work to do,” Jensen said

For most people, HIV is a lifelong infection, and the virus is never fully eradicated. Thanks to modern medication, people with HIV can live long and healthy lives.

The Dusseldorf patient joins a small group of people who have been cured under extreme circumstances after a stem cell transplant, typically only performed in cancer patients who don’t have any other options. A stem cell transplant is a high-risk procedure that effectively replaces a person’s immune system. The primary goal is to cure someone’s cancer, but the procedure has also led to an HIV cure in a handful of cases.

HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, enters and destroys the cells of the immune system. Without treatment, the continued damage can lead to AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, where a person cannot fight even a small infection.

With about 38.4 million people globally living with HIV, treatments have come a long way. Modern medication can keep the virus at bay, and studies looking into preventing HIV infection with a vaccine are also underway.

The first person with HIV cure was Timothy Ray Brown. Researchers published his case as the Berlin patient in 2009. That was followed by the London patient published in 2019. Most recently, The City of Hope and New York patients were published in 2022.

“I think we can get a lot of insights from this patient and from these similar cases of HIV cure,” Jensen said. “These insights give us some hints where we could go to make the strategy safer.”

All four of these patients had undergone stem cell transplants for their blood cancer treatment. Their donors also had the same HIV-resistant mutation that deletes a protein called CCR5, which HIV normally uses to enter the cell. Only 1% of the total population carries this genetic mutation that makes them resistant to HIV.

“When you hear about these HIV cure, it’s obviously, you know, incredible, given how challenging it’s been. But, it still remains the exception to the rule,” said Dr. Todd Ellerin, director of infectious disease at South Shore Health.

The stem cell transplantation is a complicated procedure that comes with many risks, and it is too risky to offer it as a cure for everyone with HIV.

However, scientists are hopeful. Each time they cure a new patient, they gain valuable research insights that help them understand what it would take to find a cure for everyone.

“It is obviously a step forward in advancing the science and having us sort of understanding, in some ways, what it takes to cure HIV,” Ellerin said.

Kaviya Sathyakumar, M.D., M.B.A., is a family medicine resident physician at Ocala Regional Medical Center in Florida and member of ABC News Medical Unit.

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(NEW YORK) — Alika Jones was one of hundreds of Southeastern Louisiana University students who signed up for the Be The Match bone marrow registry during a homecoming drive in 2013.

Four years later, Jones got a call. She was someone’s match.

“There was a 14-year-old boy who was recently diagnosed with leukemia, and he needed a donor,” Jones told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “I just wanted to help someone, if I could, not have to worry about their child.”

Jones’ healthy cells soon became a lifeline for Josiah Knight, who underwent a successful bone marrow transplant in 2017.

Keesha Wilson, Knight’s mother, said she is beyond grateful for Jones’ life-saving donation and that her son, who lives with Down syndrome, is living his life to the fullest.

“It was a perfect match. His body was healed,” Wilson told GMA. “And he may not have to say his own words, but if you see his smile, you know, he’s very thankful and grateful.”

Jones said that choosing to donate to Be The Match was “one of the greatest” decisions of her life.

“Next to being a mother, I feel like it’s one of the greatest things that I’ve ever done in my life, to be able to help someone,” said Jones.

The Be The Match drive at Southeastern Louisiana University that led to Josiah’s transplant was done in honor of a familiar alum: GMA co-anchor Robin Roberts, who underwent a successful bone marrow transplant herself in 2012, after being diagnosed with bone marrow myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a rare blood disorder that affects bone marrow.

While Roberts’ sister Sally-Ann was luckily her perfect match, about 70% of patients on bone marrow registry lists do not have a family match and rely on anonymous donors for a cure, according to the Be The Match registry, a nonprofit organization operated by the National Marrow Donor Program, which manages the world’s largest bone marrow donor registry.

Even then, a patient’s chance of having a matched, available donor on the Be The Match registry ranges from 29% to 79%, depending on the patient’s ethnic background.

When Roberts returned to her GMA family on Feb. 20, 2013, she was empowered to make her message. Over the past decade, Roberts and GMA have continued to report extensively about blood stem cell transplants, which can cure or treat more than 75 different diseases, such as leukemias and lymphomas, and spread awareness of the importance of the Be The Match registry.

Now more than ever the need is urgent.

Be The Match reports regional and national recruitment efforts decreased 36% during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and that only 50% of people on the registry will go on to make a donation when they’re a match for a patient in need.

Be The Match has put a call out in particular for younger donors under the age of 40, as research has shown younger donors help improve overall outcomes for patients, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Southeastern Louisiana University continues to support the Be The Match campaign and, just this month, hosted an on-campus drive where over 230 students signed up for the bone marrow registry in just a few hours.

One decade after the first registry drive at the university, Knight is thriving and 20 years old, thanks to Jones’ donation.

Knight’s family recently traveled from California to Louisiana to meet Jones for the first time face-to-face. Wilson said she wanted to meet Jones because, “Without her, my son wouldn’t be here.”

“Thank you so much … you’re such a blessing,” Wilson told Jones when they finally met. “I really appreciate you. I really do.”

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