HIV And HIV / AIDS

HIV has affected people all across the world. HIV comes with physical and mental symptoms. The body symptoms include skin flaking off, being dry, skin peeling off (Saliba 23) , fingernails falling off (32), and weight loss (14). Mentally it is hard to sleep, people become weak, and are tired all the time (23). People all across the world are infected with this disease, and the problem with this is the fact that most do not even know they have it. The most people who are infected each year are African Americans, gays, or bisexuals. 10,315 African Americans were infected in 2015. The U.S.A. has estimated about 1.1 million are infected with the disease. Equally to about 12,333 deaths happened in 2014 from AIDS related diseases, and 6,721 deaths from AIDS directly. Although there are a large amount of people getting infected, on the other hand eighteen percent of the population with HIV is declining since 2008-2014 (“U.S. Statistics”). In the world about 33.2 million people worldwide have HIV, with 22.5 million people in sub Saharan Africa are living with this condition, one out of nine people who live in South America have HIV or AIDS (Saliba 8).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 50,000 people are infected with HIV each year. In 2010, the most recent year for which this information is available, there were around 47,500 new HIV infections in the United States (p. 1). The population of people with HIV is diverse due to the fact that it does not discriminate. Men and women of any age,

The term Human Immunodeficiency Virus is commonly known as (HIV), which is a virus that attacks the immune system of humans by destroying the amount of CD4 cells in their bodies. Without CD4 the human body is unable to fight against diseases, which can lead to Acquired Immune deficiency syndrome known as AIDS for short. The first case of the HIV/AIDS virus in the U.S. occurred in the early 1980’s. The first spark of the virus was found in San Francisco with couple of homosexual Caucasian American males. Today African Americans account for the largest proportion of HIV and AIDS in this country, represent approximately 13% of the U.S. population, but accounted for an estimated 44% of new HIV infections in 2010(the last year a study was

Unfortunately, the number of HIV infection still lingers and thrives on a global scale and in the US. In Los Angeles, approximately 60,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS, and more than 9000 are unaware of their infection status (Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, 2015). Even with HAART/PrEP and the availability of condoms, more than 1800 additional HIV cases have been reported in 2013 (LACDPH, 2015). The most striking is the presence of HIV positive youths in Los Angeles. LA County Health estimates that 1700 people between ages 13-24 who have HIV/AID, along with another estimated 350 teens who are HIV positive but do not know their status (LACDPH, 2015). The purpose of this proposal is to

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection is a long-term (chronic) viral infection. HIV kills white blood cells that help to control the body's defense system (immune system) and fight infection. HIV spreads through semen, pre-seminal fluid, blood, breast milk, rectal fluid, and vaginal fluid. HIV is commonly spread through sexual contact and sharing needles or syringes, because these behaviors involve exchanging bodily fluids. Without treatment, HIV can turn into AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), an advanced stage of HIV infection. AIDS is a very serious illness and can be life-threatening.

According to recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 1.2 million individuals in the United States have HIV (about 14 percent of which are unaware of their infection and another 1.1 million have progressed to AIDS. Over the past decade, the number of HIV cases in the US has increased, however, the annual number of cases remains stable at about 50, 000 new cases per year. Within these estimates, certain groups tend to carry the burden of these disease, particularly the gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men (MSM) and among race/ethnic groups, Blacks/African American males remain disproportionately affected. (CDC)

HIV infections in African American Males have been a national growing problem since the early 1990’s. According to CDC, in the United States, there are more than 1 million people living with HIV. 48 percent are afro American males between the ages 13-44(CDC, 2007). It is estimated that around 1 million people in the United States will be diagnose with HIV in the up coming year with the lifetime risk of becoming infected is 1 in 16 for black males (CDC,2007).

In the United States, HIV (infection) has changed remarkably over the past 30 years. According to CDC.gov “At the end of 2013, 498,400 African Americans were living with HIV (40% of everyone living with HIV in the US), and 1 in 8 did not know they were infected.” More than 44,000 people were diagnosed with HIV in 2014. HIV is currently a disease of greater demographic diversity, affecting all ages, sexes, race and involves various transmission risk behaviors. At least 50,000 new HIV infections will continue to be added each year, however, one-fifth of persons with new infections may not know they are infected, and a substantial proportion of those who know they are infected are not engaged in HIV care. It is tragic that there are a huge number

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS is a pandemic problem affecting global health. At the end of 2015, 36.7 million people were living with HIV/AIDS globally. The rate of incidence is more prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa with almost 1 in every 24 adults living with HIV/AIDS. In the united states, HIV/AIDS is a diversified health problem affecting all sexes, ages and races and involving the transmission of multiple risk behavior. However, with the introduction of various prevention programs and antiretroviral drugs, the incidence of HIV/AIDS has reduced.

What is HIV? It is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS if not treated. The Kaiser Family Foundation (2008), states that HIV attacks the body’s immune system, specifically the CD4 cells (T cells), which help the immune system fight off infections. If left untreated, it reduces the number of T-Cells in the body, making the person more likely to get other infections. Also noted is the fact that HIV destroys so many of these cells that it renders the body helpless in fighting off the infections, while it takes advantage of the weaker immune system. This occurrence is part of the

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2012) states that more than a million people in the United States alone are living with, and dying from Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), and almost one in seven people are unaware of their HIV infection status. Over the past decade, the number of people living with HIV has increased, while the annual number of new HIV infections worldwide has remained relatively high. The trend of new infections continues at an increased level particularly among certain population groups and geographical locations with many separate epidemics. Each of these epidemics involves different risk behaviors and practices, such as unprotected sex with multiple partners or sharing intravenous drug equipment (Marcus et.al, 2015). Some countries have made tremendous efforts in expanding and ensuring access to treatment, but have made little to no progress in advancing HIV/AIDS prevention programs, whereas other countries with declining HIV/AIDS prevalence are not making enough and rapid progress to ensure access to, and availability of HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention resources. HIV/AIDS has gradually declined in the amount of media attention it receives, especially in the United States as cancer remains the global number one health issue. HIV/AIDS is still prevalent in the communities and it is important that the general public remain educated and sensitized about the disease process and its

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects the cells of the immune system. In particular, HIV attacks and destroys the T helper lymphocytes, or T-cells, which are crucial to the immune system and immune response. (These cells are also called CD4-positive lymphocytes because HIV uses the protein CD4, present on the surface of the cell, to attach itself and pry its way into the cell.) Each day, your body produces millions of CD4+ T-cells to help maintain your immunity and fight off invading viruses and germs. Once HIV is in your body, the virus is able to copy itself over and over, increasing its ability to kill CD4+ T-cells. Soon, infected cells outnumber healthy T-cells.

HIV is a disease that in becoming a larger a larger topic of conversation in the US. HIV was originally considered an epidemic in the early 1980s. (CDC, 2016). Since the identification of the epidemic, education and preventative measures have significantly dropped statistics, however there is still much progress and awareness of the disease that it needed. Approximately 36.9 million people in the world are currently living with this disease in 2014 and worldwide there is approximately 2 million new cases each year. (AIDS.gov, 2014). To put some perspective on the epidemic in terms of the United States the incident rate is approximately 50,000 new cases and the prevalence rate is 1.2 million. (CDC, 2016). There has been a significant drop in

HIV and AIDS are becoming a growing issue in our country and is starting to become more prevalent in younger age groups. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is the virus that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. Unlike some other viruses, the human body cannot get rid of HIV. That means that once you have HIV, you have it for life” (CDC, 2016). On the other hand, as described by Linda Hirshman, AIDS is a “triple threat: as a disease it required the caring services conventionally found in the biological family; as a sexual disease it threatened the bedrock norm of privacy-based sexual freedom; and as an epidemic it could only be

Throughout the history of South Africa, problems regarding the overall well-being of the country have arisen. One current issue South Africa is currently facing is HIV/AIDS. The disease has been plaguing South Africa as well as other countries throughout the continent. The initialism HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. This disease attacks and destroys the infection-fighting CD4 cells of the immune system. Loss of these cells makes it difficult for the body to fight infections. Without treatment, HIV can gradually destroy the immune system and advance to AIDS. Human immunodeficiency virus is a multistage disease and AIDS is the most advanced stage. AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. According to the World Health Report, South Africa’s health system is ranked 175th in the world, making it one of the lowest in the world. With such a low-quality health system, the disease is easily spreading throughout South Africa quickly. The epidemic has detrimentally affected South Africa’s economy causing low productivity and a reduced labor supply. This, combined with the need for enhanced medical imports and a reduced exportation rate, is causing economic instability for the South African government. With all the negative effects of HIV/AIDS in South Africa, creating a better health system and ensuring healthy citizens must be a priority. In order to achieve healthy and productive citizens, the government must focus on more permanent, cost effective, solution to