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HIV/AIDS In The United States

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HIV/AIDS
Patricia Ballard
Felician University

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Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a viral infection that can be life-threatening and is a lifelong disease. HIV attacks the body and weakens the immune system. HIV stays in the body for life and some of the symptoms are diarrhea, headache, fever, night sweats, and flu-like symptoms.
“At the end of 2013, an estimated 1.2 million persons aged 13 and older were living with HIV infection in the United States, including an estimated 161,200 (13%) persons whose infections had not been diagnosed (cdc.gov).” Many people report never experiencing any symptoms and don’t even know …show more content…

People who are homeless or have unstable housing are also at risk for HIV infection as compared to people with stable housing. There is a higher rate of drug use among the homeless, including IV drug use, which can also lead to risky sexual behavior because drugs are often exchanged for sex.
Consequently, socioeconomic factors also play a part in treatment. Homeless, unemployed HIV-positive people are less likely to see a doctor on a routine basis and less likely to seek out medical care because of a lack of availability and accessibility of medications and healthcare facilities. Without the proper medications, the virus eventually becomes AIDS. Nevertheless, prevention, behavior modification and treatment are key factors in preventing the spread of HIV (Greene, Madkins, Andrews, Dispenza, & Mustanski, 2016).
Prevention of HIV begins with using latex condoms during sex. In addition to using condoms, abstinence, limiting the number of sexual partners, and not sharing needles are

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