A baby with HIV was apparently cured, U.S. scientists said Sunday at a major AIDS meeting in Atlanta.

The baby from Mississippi who is now 2 and a half years old, was born with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) and was cured after very early treatment with standard HIV drugs and has been off medication for about a year with no signs of the infection. Reuters reports that the baby is a girl.
"Now, after at least one year of taking no medicine, this child's blood remains free of virus even on the most sensitive tests available," Dr. Hannah Gay said, according to Rawstory.com.

"We expect that this baby has great chances for a long, healthy life. We are certainly hoping that this approach could lead to the same outcome in many other high-risk babies," she added.

"We are calling this a 'functional cure,' " said physician Katherine Luzuriaga from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, who was taking part in the baby's care. "Time and further investigation will tell us whether this child actually has been cured or not," she added, according to the Washington Post.

A patient is functionally cured of HIV when standard blood tests are negative for the virus. 

The cure is the first time an infant achieves a "functional cure." It can change the way babies with the virus are treated and lead to a cure for them. More than 300,000 babies are born every year around the world with the virus.

Scientists did not release the name of the child.