2008 Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology for discovery of HPV and HIV viruses – short history of discovery of HIV

SummaryIn 2008 the Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology was divided and half of it awarded discovery of the human papilloma virus (HPV) and its correlation with women's cervical cancer, and the other half – discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The latter part raised many comments and controversies. As 25 years have passed since the HIV virus was identified, the short history of this discovery was recalled, as it is quite forgotten now.