A virus that attacks the immune system and is managed with lifelong treatment. Explore its illustrative 3D model, human context, and sources.
HIV targets the white blood cells that coordinate immune defence, which makes other infections and some cancers more likely. WHO states there is no cure, but that with effective prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care HIV has become a manageable chronic condition. People on antiretroviral therapy with an undetectable viral load do not transmit HIV to their sexual partners.
WHO estimates 41.0 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2025, with an estimated 570,000 HIV-related deaths and 1.2 million people acquiring HIV that year, and 44.2 million lives claimed to date. Untreated infection weakens the immune system and can progress to AIDS, often after many years. This tag describes a documented course, not an individual's prognosis.
Human immunodeficiency virus · HIV-1 representative with conical core. The clinical profile also covers HIV-2; this is a schematic HIV-1 mature particle. The colours, proportions, protein shapes and visible counts are illustrative, not measured or an atomic reconstruction. Independent scientific review remains pending.
Source check: 2026-09-19. Educational content; independent scientific review remains pending.