LONDON — HIV is being “watered down” as it adapts to our immune systems, becoming less infectious, according to a new study from scientists in the UK.

The Oxford University team behind the report said HIV’s ability to cause AIDS is diminishing over time, with some virologists suggesting that, as the virus evolves, it may become almost harmless according to the BBC.

Approximately 35 million people around the world are living with HIV/AIDS. More than 3 million of those infected are children, according to figures from the World Health Organization. In 2013 alone, an estimated 2.1 million people became newly infected with HIV, most of those infected live in sub-Saharan Africa.

“Overall we are bringing down the ability of HIV to cause AIDS so quickly,” Professor Philip Goulder, who led the study. “But it would be overstating it to say HIV has lost its potency — it’s still a virus you wouldn’t want to have.”

Academics have cautioned, however, that the time scales necessary to render HIV harmless in this manner are very large.

The team carried out its research in Botswana and South Africa, observing antenatal women with HIV from Durban, enrolled between 2002 and 2005 and Gaborone in Botswana, enrolled between 2007 and 2008. The HIV epidemic started early in Botswana not reaching South Africa until a decade later. Looking at the two countries, it found that HIV’s capacity to replicate was lower in Botswana.

The research also points out that increased access to antiretroviral therapy could contribute to an overall accelerated decline in HIV virulence over the coming decades.

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