Dominican Republic Essay

On the island of Hispaniola, which borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean sea is home to the countries o the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Dominican Republic occupies about two/ thirds of the island and is home to roughly around 10.65 million people. The Dominican Republic has many mountains and valleys which divide the country into the three regions of the northern, the central, and the southwestern. The northern region borders the Atlantic Ocean and is made up of mountains or in Spanish as they call it “ The Cordillera Sepetentrional. Along the northern region of the country as well is the Cibao Valley which is Spanish means rocky land. The Cibao valley is the most populated region of the Dominican Republic. It is also a

Within the unique culture of the Dominican Republic, the complex heritage of Arawak, Spanish, African, and French lore, is unique to the Dominican Republic compared to other Caribbean islands. Moreover, the country maintains close ties with the United States. Currently, the people of the Dominican Republic are striving to build a democracy against the unscrupulous and authoritarian politically privileged leadership. A large element that shapes Dominican national identity is its Spanish heritage. Currently in this country, light skin color, which is marked to reflect European ancestry, is valued, while dark skin tones indicate West African slave ancestry. The Roman Catholic cathedrals still are in existence and the majority of the population

The dominican Republic is known as the breadbasket of the Caribbean because it grows, farms, and catches almost everything that’s served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Dominican Republic was the first colony founded by Christopher Columbus. It used to go by “La Hispaniola” in colonial times. Also the flag of the Dominican Republic is the only national flag in the world to feature the image of a bible. My country is the Dominican Republic. I learned about the culture, food, religion, imports and exports, geography, sports, and family. All of it was very eye opening.

There is a continuing increase in the rates of sexually transmitted infections, particularly in people ages 15-25 (Westwood, 2006). Twelve million new cases of

Therefore, Australian adolescents are at serious risk as there are approximately 25% of young people reported sexually active by 15 years-old, with numbers increasing to 50% by Year 12; only 40% practice safe sex and use a condom (ACYS, 2014).Therefore, they are at greater risk of contracting STIs as a consequence of inexperience and lack of knowledge concerning risks with unprotected sex and access to contraception, social pressure, frequency of partner change, substance use and unwillingness to talk with parents or their general practitioner (DoHA, 2005). Hence, the success of lowering the prevalence of STIs among adolescents relies heavily on the knowledge about reproductive matters and access to and use of effective

Even after 30 years for some the stigma attached to HIV and AIDS often can lead to those who suffer from the illness as being second class citizens. The idea that those who have HIV brought upon themselves through “bad behaviors” can result in some people not seeking help or when they do they wait until the disease has progressed. However, the center for disease control considers HIV to be a focal point in the Dominican Republic, and one of the major concerns is how health officials can lower the number of new cases the country sees each year. One must understand that the rise of deaths from AIDS-related complex can mean an increase in mortality across the board creating a domino effect within the health system. Therefore education and awareness could change the health narrative by using preemptive measures. Also, those who are tested regularly and seek help quickly are those who are most likely to live full long lives.

The United States has an alarmingly high rate of sexually transmitted infections among ages fifteen through twenty-five especially among states that teach abstinence only opposed to comprehensive sexual education. It holds the highest rate in sexually transmitted infections in youth in all developed countries. This is a frightening and atrocious crisis that is preventable if given the right tools at the right age. Many youth are in harm’s way due to inaccurate information, . Many youth believe oral and anal sex is not a form of sex believing they cannot be infected by any sexually transmitted infections when engaging in these acts. This is not only wrong but can put themselves at higher risk for sexually transmitted disease. Sexually transmitted

The more frequent occurrence of STDs in the younger generations are also based upon the multiple barriers in retrieving the benefits in STD prevention services which includes the lack of health insurance or inability to pay, no transportation, embarrassment of the services in the facilities, and worries of discretion. (STDs) According to the US Department of Health and Human Service, twenty five percent of sexually active adolescents have already obtained an STD. (Parillo) The severity of the issue is approached with the control strategies and educational strategies. In which these educational strategies are more effective when it involves a big health educational program that is provided to our minors. The young populations that are particularly affected by STDs are the young women with a low income for it is easier for a female to receive an STD compared to men. And with those women having a low income, they are not able to access the services that are being provided to them. Today, four in ten sexually active adolescent girls have obtained an STD that can cause infertility and death; also two thirds of adolescent boys have HIV diagnoses.

Adolescents in the Dominican Republic (D.R.), ages 15 to 24, are at high risk of obtaining a sexually transmitted infection (STI) due to lacking education programs and economic resources as well as an influx in tourism. Studies have indicated that 30.4% of Dominican youth were sexually active by the age of 12 and that only 34% of this population consistently used condoms. In particular, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an increasing threat to the D.R. due to excessive tourism. HIV sufferers in the D.R. have a regional prevalence rate of 1%, with young adults making up 18% of the infected population, placing Dominican adolescents as one of the world’s leading populations affected by HIV.

During my research, I came across an interesting post “The American Invasion” from an undergraduate student Alejandra Baez who is in a school of “Foreign Service” and is “majoring in Regional and Comparative studies.” During a semester in Santo Domingo she shared her observation of how there is an “American Invasion” in Santo Domingo.

Like other parts of the world, Latin America is also dealing with a sexually transmitted infection crisis. Infections remain largely understudied and under-reported in national health programs and agencies, and no regional agreement on how they should investigated has been reached. Additionally, though Latin American national health programs have studied the progression of HIV/AIDs, there are large discrepancies amongst countries in how they report STIs.

HIV is a human immunodeficiency virus for which the virus is responsible for HIV infections. The virus attacks the immune system making it impossible for the immune system to fight off infections and diseases. HIV is a lentil retrovirus with a genetic complexity not seen previously among any kind of retrovirus. It operates in an inconspicuous nature comprising several parts: HIV destroys immunologically important white blood cells called T-helper cells (CD4+.) It goes inside a host cell DNA, where it can remain stays for extended periods and it inactively infects cells of monocyte lineage that can move throughout the body. It also has an affinity to nerve cells making it neurotropic and its antigenic biological properties are heterogeneous. However, HIV is distinct from acquired immune deficiency syndrome AIDS, which is the full syndrome that consequently damages the immune system. AIDS is a stage when an

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the human immune system, your body’s means of defense. The virus attacks specific viral defense cells, known as CD4+. As the disease spreads and attacks more CD4+ cells, your body no longer maintains its’ ability to fight of infections and diseases which leads to the death of the host. The final stage of HIV is known as AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). During this stage of the virus, the host gets infected and sick easily and can no longer fight off infections.

HIV is a disease which eventually kills ones immune system, and as time progresses it leads to AIDS. When the HIV enters a human, it attaches itself to a CD4 receptor and continues to enter the T-Cell. It then reprograms the cell to produce more HIV using the enzyme, reverse transcriptase. The HIV then leaves the host cell, but kills it before it leaves. Then, the HIV cells attach their selves to new T cells, and infect those as well. After about 12 weeks, the HIV antibodies appear in the humans blood stream. The disease starts off with a fever, sweats, headache, sore throats and enlarged lymph nodes. Once the CD4 cell count decreases to 200 um, AIDS gets developed and the low T count cell lowers ones immune system. Then, the

After exposure of HIV a certain number of people experience also what is called ARS or Acute Retroviral Syndrome which they describe as an acute flu. This is often a response to the HIV infection. (AIDS.gov)