With a research effort never seen before, scientists have discovered the cause of AIDS and the biochemical mechanisms of the disease in an amazingly short period of time.

Less than 20 years after the first clinical evidence of AIDS in the United States, effective drugs have been developed. Still, an HIV-infection is still not curable, but thanks to these modern drugs it has become a treatable chronic disease instead of an immediate deadly threat. Yet this is only true for the rich industrialised countries, where these drugs are available for most people who need them.