Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
AIDS
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
HIV/AIDS; retrovirus HIV/AIDS; MMWR, June 5, 1981
Learn about the early outbreak of the AIDS epidemic in the U.S.
How HIV and AIDS redefined the fight against infectious diseases
T cell infected with HIV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test neutralizing antibody; HIV AIDS charity walk AIDS Memorial Quilt AIDS ribbon
For Students
HIV/AIDS; retrovirus
AIDS summary
Quizzes
Encyclopaedia Britannica thistle graphic to be used with a Mendel/Consumer quiz in place of a photograph.
44 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular Health and Medicine Quizzes
Read Next
Image concept with the result of the HIV test, AIDS
What’s the Difference Between HIV and AIDS?
HIV, AIDS, virus
HIV/AIDS: Just the Facts
Red AIDS ribbon. AIDS awareness. AIDS charity. Red ribbon. AIDS disease deficiency HIV.
World AIDS Day
Germans from East and West stand on the Berlin Wall in front of the Brandenburg Gate in the November 10, 1989, photo, one day after the wall opened.
Timeline of the 1980s
Dr. Maria Telkes, September 4, 1956.
10 Women Scientists Who Should Be Famous (or More Famous)
Discover
Binary Computer Code, Binary Code, Internet, Technology, Password, Data
How Does Wi-Fi Work?
bird. mourning dove. pigeon and dove. Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) family Columbidae.
Nikola Tesla's Weird Obsession with Pigeons
Fish. Lionfish. Lion-fish. Turkey fish. Fire-fish. Red lionfish. Pterois volitans. Venomous fin spines. Coral reefs. Underwater. Ocean. Red lionfish swims by seaweed.
10 of the World’s Most Dangerous Fish
Shah Jahan. Taj Mahal. Mughal architecture. Emperor Shah Jahan fifth Mughal Emperor (reigned 1628-1658) India, Himachal Pradesh, Basohli or Jammu and Kashmir, Mankot, circa 1690 Drawings; Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper (see notes)
6 Important Mughal Emperors
Sailboat against a beautiful landscape
Which Waters Do You Pass Through When You “Sail the Seven Seas”?
The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. (ancient architecture; architectural ruins)
New Seven Wonders of the World
pg 229Nazi parade features a banner proclaiming, "Death to Marxism."The possibility of a peaceful Germany after World War I was precluded entirely by the terms of the Versailles Treaty and theintransigent hostility of France and England. Stripped of indu
Were the Nazis Socialists?

AIDS: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/AIDS
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

Trump Aid Whiplash Hits Refugees, AIDS Patients Worldwide • Jan. 31, 2025, 10:40 PM ET (Wall Street Journal)

Facts

Also Known As slim • acquired immunodeficiency syndrome • HIV Stage III • acquired immune deficiency syndrome

Did You Know?

  • About one-third of all HIV-positive individuals are unaware that they have HIV.
  • Conspiracy theorists have claimed that the US federal government created HIV and added it to various vaccines, such as for hepatitis B, smallpox, and polio.
  • In 2016, there were five thousand new HIV infections every day.
  • Some conspiracy theorists claim that HIV/AIDs does not exist and is a fabrication of either the pharmaceutical industry, scientists, or doctors.
  • Over half of people living with HIV reside in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Photos and Videos

HIV/AIDS; retrovirus
HIV/AIDS; MMWR, June 5, 1981
T cell infected with HIV
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test
neutralizing antibody; HIV
AIDS charity walk
AIDS Memorial Quilt
AIDS ribbon
Learn about the early outbreak of the AIDS epidemic in the U.S.
How HIV and AIDS redefined the fight against infectious diseases
Hear American virologist Robert Gallo speaking about the prospects in the development of HIV vaccine
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Anthony Fauci
Anthony Fauci
American immunologist
Peter Piot
Belgian microbiologist
Luc Montagnier
Luc Montagnier
French scientist
Mathilde Krim
American medical researcher
Françoise Barré-Sinoussi
Françoise Barré-Sinoussi
French virologist
Larry Kramer
Larry Kramer
American writer

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Encyclopaedia Britannica thistle graphic to be used with a Mendel/Consumer quiz in place of a photograph.
44 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular Health and Medicine Quizzes
Demystified
Image concept with the result of the HIV test, AIDS
What’s the Difference Between HIV and AIDS?