HIV/AIDS is a health concern and despite the knowledge of the disease, the infections are increasing especially amongst Blacks. This topic is particularly of interest to me because I feel that there is a greater need to apply sociology to explain why the rate of infections is increasing amongst certain demographics principally in the blacks/African American in the United States and not the people of whiteness. Blacks/ African Americans are not to blame for the HIV/AIDS, the social environment in which they live affects the individuals and in turn the way they think, act and behave. Corresponding to Lisa McIntyre (The Practical Skeptic, 2011), the sociological concept of social imagination “disregards biases against individuals and appeals to sources outside the individual” or social forces to explain behavior (p.31) furthermore, the concept of social imagination allows one to tackle the problems from the grassroots and promises significant change in the results. Definition and Statistics Conferring to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus which leads to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), (CDC, 2014). HIV affects the immune system that is the CD4 cells causing the weakening of the immune system (CDC, 2014). Weakening of the immune system leaves the body defenseless from new infections. At this stage, one is then declared to have Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is viral infection that weakens the immune system of the body and eventually causes AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) the last stage of the disease where a person can die. The virus has plagued the African American communities and continues to disproportionately impact the black race more than any other racial or ethnical group.
AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is defined by the Mayo Clinic as "A chronic, potentially life-threatening condition which is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV damages the immune system, and interferes with the ability the body has to fight the disease causing organism" (Mayo Clinic, 2014). HIV is an infection transmitted sexually. Another mode of transmission for HIV is by exposure to infected blood, or it could also be transmitted from the mother to the unborn child during the course of pregnancy, at childbirth or through breastfeeding. It may take several years for the HIV virus to weaken the immune system
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus and can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) if not treated (About HIV/AIDS, n.d). Unlike some other viruses, the human body cannot fully rid itself of HIV completely, even with treatment. Simply put, once you contract HIV, you have it for life. This disease attacks the body’s immune system, specifically the CD4 cells (T cells), which help the immune system stave off infections. When left to its own devices, HIV reduces the number of CD4 cells (T cells) in the body, making the person more likely to
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
Emerging in the early 1980s, HIV/AIDS was an unknown disease that spread rapidly throughout the United States. In the beginning not much information was found due to this being a very new disease with a completely unknown background. As decades passed, research has increased as well as the number of cases of people reporting that they are infected. Being that 1 out of every 4 people are infected with HIV/AIDS, this disease has had such an immense impact socially, domestically, as well as politically. Due to this increase in cases, the United States Congress passed the CARE Act (Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act). Named after a young AIDS activist, Ryan White, the CARE Act helps primarily fund health care and support services for
“HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. If left untreated, HIV can lead to the disease AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). HIV attacks the body’s immune system, specifically the CD4 cells (T cells), which help the immune system fight off infections” (AIDS.Gov, 2016).
AIDS, which stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, has a set of symptoms that has caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV. This type of virus is considered to be when a person’s immune system is too weak to defend advanced HIV infections and how it develops certain symptoms and illnesses that will destroy the immune system. Most of the infections are harmless for healthy people, but the ones that have AIDS can die from the same diseases. “There is no cure for HIV and AIDS yet. However, treatment can control
The virus strikes the immune system, growing vulnerability to infections and disease, which includes infection-related cancers. Without therapy, the sufferer can develop AIDS.
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. This is a sexually transmitted disease that will eventually morph itself into a disease known as AIDS, which stands for acquired immunodeficiency. HIV breaks down the immune system where it becomes extremely difficult to fight diseases that attack the body. Though HIV is most commonly transferred sexually, other way like through contact with infected blood, or from a mother to a baby through child birth, and if that doesn’t do it then the person who is infected could infect the child through breast feeding. AIDS is known as a disease where there is an extremely lessen amount of the body’s cellular immunity cells. This causes danger of being infected, by any kind of disease, since the immune
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus, also known as HIV, is a virus that attacks and destroys a person’s CD4 cells which are cells used to help fight
6).HIV/AIDS-HIV is short for human immunodeficiency virus. It’s a virus that attacks the immune system. HIV can cause AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS is a chronic, life-threatening condition.
HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS. A member of a group of viruses called retroviruses, HIV infects human cells and uses the energy and nutrients provided by those cells to grow and reproduce. AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is a disease in which the body's immune system breaks down and is unable to fight off certain infections, known as "opportunistic infections," and other illnesses that take advantage of a weakened immune system. When a person is infected with HIV, the virus enters the body and lives and multiplies primarily in the white blood cells. These are the immune cells that normally protect us from disease.
HIV stands for Human immunodeficiency Virus. This virus weakens a person 's ability to fight infections. During HIV infection, the virus attacks and destroys the infection-fighting CD4 cells, a type white blood cell. The loss of CD4 cells makes it difficult to fight infections, and so, one would be most susceptible to any and every illness. A person with the loss of 200 and more CD4 cells is said to have the more advanced stage of the HIV infection, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS. This is the stage at which all of a person’s ability to fight infections is lost.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a virus that your body can’t get rid of. This virus sits in your body and attack your immune system and essential virus fighting cells. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the final stage of HIV infection. At this point of HIV people have badly damaged immune systems, which put them at risk for other disease and infections.
Public Health costs us, as tax payers, a lot of money. Without public health initiatives, diseases such as small pox would still be with us, and other diseases, such as antibiotic- resistant staphylococcus would get out of control and cause sickness and death throughout the country. As taxpayers we rely on our government to ensure that we get “good value” for our money.