The Challenge of Creating a Vaccine for HIV

In this video by the Microbiology Society, you can hear from researchers who are working to develop a vaccine for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. While treatments for the disease have been developed, it remains a global problem. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that in the United States, about 1.1 million people are living with HIV, and they estimate that 15 percent of those people are unaware that they are infected. 

A vaccine would be a great way to reduce the number of new cases. Vaccines can stimulate the human immune system to fight off the virus. But HIV has an exceptional ability to change itself, both in the same patient and between individuals, making vaccine design extremely difficult. Learn more from the video about how researchers are continuing their efforts to create a vaccine for HIV.

Source: CDC