HIV is the virus that causes the deadly human disease AIDS. The virus attacks and destroys human white blood cells, macrophages and T-cell lymphocytes. It destroys the immune system of the body. In 2000, the number of AIDS patients in the world was 3.6 million. Of these, 30 lakh patients die. AIDS was first identified in 1981 by French scientists Barre Sinoussi and Luc Montneil. For this reason, they won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2008.
In 1983, the French scientist Dr. Lue Montagnier discovered the AIDS virus and named it Lymphadenopathy associated virus (LAV). In 1984 American scientist Dr. Robert Gallo separately discovered this virus and named it Human T-cell Lymphotropic virus, strain III (HTLV-III). In 1986, the International Committee on Nomenclature of Viruses recognized it as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).