why is it that has become difficult to establish curative drugs for HIV/AIDS

Question: why is it that has become difficult to establish curative drugs for HIV/AIDS
- Keywords:
  aids,
  cure,
  drug,
  hiv
Asked by abqb266 to Beatrice, Charles, George, Kamal, Patricia on 16 Jan 2017.
- George Githinji answered on 16 Jan 2017:
  
  HIV/AIDS is caused by an unusual life form, a virus. This virus attacks the cells that are responsible for fighting foreign pathogens or germs if you like. The virus changes a lot during its lifetime in the infected person. By doing that it is able to escape our body’s defence mechanisms and beat it at its own game. Making drugs that fight viruses is difficult in itself in addition to making protective vaccines. We still do not understand a lot of the processes through which the virus is able to multiply and sustain itself in the body. You might be the scientist to explore more about this and many other interesting viruses!
- Patricia Njuguna answered on 17 Jan 2017:
  
  HIV is a virus that causes the disease AIDS. It is very clever virus which changes it’s appearance to the immune system all the time (mutation). Hence the development of drugs need to be tartgeted to the areas that do not change. The virus is also very clever and hides in certain parts of the body (sanctuary sites) where drugs and the immune system cannot attack. Hence cure is difficult.

Question: why is it that has become difficult to establish curative drugs for HIV/AIDS