A new study in Nature shows that delivering a single injection of gene therapy at birth may offer years-long protection against HIV, tapping into a critical window in early life that could reshape the fight against pediatric infections in high-risk regions.

This study is among the first to show that the first weeks of life, when the immune system is naturally more tolerant, may be the optimal window for delivering gene therapies that would otherwise be rejected at older ages.

Louisiana Healthcare Connections announced two major milestones: 130,000 babies have now been born under the health plan’s care, and 25,000 cribs have been distributed across the state.

As a Medicaid health plan for the Louisiana Department of Health, the organization supports approximately 12,000 births annually.