Hiv / Aids Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

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).

AIDS or acquired immune deficiency syndrome is a disease where a person regardless of race or gender can get infected and have no chance of survival. AIDS started in the 1980’s to move from human to human. In a event were sex kills this is the one. In 1995, AIDS was the leading cause of death for adults 25 to 44 years old. But in recent years treatments help the survival and prolonged life of many with AIDS yet the disease still resides within them and they are dangerous to the well being of

AIDS, which stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome, has been a worldwide issue for many years. People of all ages have been affected by this syndrome, from newborns to young teens, all the way to adults going all the way through their seniority. Individuals with the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome have had many obstacles to deal with. Some of which are problems not only having to do with their health, but also with the relationship that they have with the people around their community, family, and even with their self. It’s a battle that has taken many lives. This deficiency syndrome takes away one’s health mentally, emotionally, as well as physically. When an individual contracts aids, their immune system takes a huge toll and

HIV and AIDS have affected millions of people throughout the world. Since 1981, there have been 25 million deaths due to AIDS involving men, women, and children. Presently there are 40 million people living with HIV and AIDS around the world and two million die each year from AIDS related illnesses. The Center for Disease Control estimates that one-third of the one million Americans living with HIV are not aware that they have it. The earliest known case of HIV was in 1959. It was discovered in a blood sample from a man in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Looking further into the genetics of this blood sample researchers suggested that it had originated from a virus going back to the late 1940’s or early 1950’s. In 1999,

Although HIV is no longer the automatic death sentence it was in the 80’s, it remains a thorn even in our modern societies. For instance, HIV treatment is exponentially expensive, and can only be afforded by residents in developed countries. In fact, most third world nations are still in the 80’s as far as HIV treatment technology is concerned. Fatality rates particularly in Africa are astronomical to say the least (Rensburg 267). With prices, for

The epidemic disease AIDS was discovered in the US in 1981. According the world health Organization (WHO) ‘’ Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a term which applies to the most advanced stages of HIV infection”. The outbreak of this HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) affected women, men, and children from every single part of the world and resulted in fears and folk tale and the deaths of many. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates 34.3 million people worldwide were living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 1999 and an estimated 15,000 people become infected each day. An epidemic

Just as clearly, experience shows that the right approaches, applied quickly enough with courage and resolve, can and do result in lower HIV infection rates and less suffering for those affected by the epidemic. An ever-growing AIDS epidemic is not inevitable; yet, unless action against the epidemic is scaled up drastically, the damage already done will seem minor compared with what lies ahead. This may sound dramatic, but it is hard to play down the effects of a disease that stands to kill more than half of the young adults in the countries where it has its firmest hold—most of them before they finish the work of caring for their children or providing for their elderly parents. Already, 18.8 million people around the world have died of AIDS, 3.8 million of them children. Nearly twice that many—34.3 million—are now living with HIV, the virus [9].

Globally, there is good news. In 2011 the World Health Organization (WHO) claimed that the HIV/AIDs epidemic was declining in their “Global HIV/AIDS Response” progress report (Progress Report 2011). Each continent and region, however, showed different changes in their rates of HIV/AIDS (Progress Report 2011). In North America, and specifically in the United States, the incidence of HIV has been constant for the past several years (Progress Report 2011). Despite the stability of this disease, the proportions of who is becoming infected are alarming (Progress Report 2011).

Within the United States, over 1.2 million people are living with HIV infection and about 13% of them are unaware of their infection. Additionally, it is estimated that 50,000 new HIV infections are developing each year (CDC,2013). In the year 2013, about 47,352 people were newly diagnosed with HIV infections and overall 1,194,039 have been diagnosed with AIDS (CDC, 2013). Unfortunately in the year 2012, about 13,712 people with AIDS and about 670,000 people in the United States have died overall because they were unaware of their infection which caused them to develop AIDS, the untreatable disease (CDC, 2012). In regards to a concentrated population, adolescents/adults (age 13 years and over), carry the highest risk for HIV infections (Campsmith,2010) . In the year 2006, about 1,106,400 adolescents/adults were diagnosed and living with HIV in the United States and about 232,700 individuals who were unaware of their infection and went undiagnosed

The disease HIV, also known as human immunodeficiency virus, is a virus that is transmitted through bodily fluids that cause an attack on the body’s immune system and destroys T cells, which help defend the immune system from infectious diseases (CDC, 2015 A). HIV is a prevalent public health issue because it is a preventable disease, but over 1.2 million Americans are living with the disease and the numbers keep increasing yearly (CDC, 2011 A). Also, 1 out of every 5 American living with HIV are unaware that they have the disease (CDC, 2011 B). Studies show that in 2014 there were around 51,000 new cases of HIV diagnosis (CDC, 2011 B) Adult and adolescent males from the ages of 13 and 24 years old make up 81% of all the HIV cases (CDC, 2014). The main targeted groups for HIV are, 1 in 6 gay/bisexual men, 1 in 20 African American men, 1 in 48

Thirty-five years on June 5, 1981, what began with five cases of a rare lung infection (Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia) among five otherwise healthy gay men eventually emerged as global health crisis, which in 1982, was formally identified as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Another two years would pass before scientists were able to isolate the retrovirus that causes AIDS, which in 1984 was termed human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV). Although a successful discovery, in the absence of a proven treatment, HIV and AIDS had free rein in which to leave in its wake a global path of fear, illness, and death. To understand the totality of HIV/AIDS, consider the following. Since the onset of the pandemic more than 70 million people have been infected with HIV, 35 million people have died of AIDS-related illnesses, and globally, at the end of 2015, an estimated 39.8 people were living with HIV (World Health Organization, 2016). Notwithstanding the global significance of HIV/AIDS, this paper, aside from a historical overview of HIV/AIDS, will focus solely on the continuing public health threat of HIV/AIDS in the United States.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a major public health challenge worldwide (Sepkowitz, 2001). HIV is a microscopic organism that attacks and destroys the immune system (Carter and Hughson, 2014). This has caused 35 million people to be diagnosed with the disease and an estimated 39 million people dying from HIV related causes since the beginning of the epidemic (World Health Organisation (WHO), 2016). The United Kingdom (UK) experienced a five percent rise in HIV diagnosis from 2012-2013 resulting in 107,800 patients being diagnosed with HIV (Public Health England (2014). This figure has led the UK to having one of the fastest growing HIV epidemics in Europe (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 2013). HIV still remains incurable with no effective vaccines in place, nonetheless measures have been put in place to curb its transmission (Munier et al, 2011). The introduction of antiretroviral therapy has triggered a decrease in replication of HIV in the infected host (Connor, et al., 1994).

Over the last two decades, HIV has materialized from an unknown virus to a pandemic of prodigious proportions. Social issues increase the risk of HIV infection, thereby creating a counterproductive environment, where combatting the global epidemic effectively is hampered. To date, millions worldwide have succumbed to the virus and currently, over 40 million people are living with HIV.

HIV has been a pandemic that has affected the world relentlessly for many years in a never-ending circle. HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is the virus that is spread through certain bodily fluids and can lead to AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). HIV attacks the immune system by destroying CD4+ T cells, which leaves the person infected with HIV vulnerable to other infections, diseases, and other complications.1 Once this virus is acquired, the human can never fully rid itself of this pathogen. If left untreated, HIV reduces the number of CD4+ cells in the body whom sole duty is to protect the body from infections. 2 Many scientists have postulated on where the virus was first introduced. It has been assumed that the virus was first encountered humans whom were hunting and eating chimpanzees in Central Africa and the virus has spread like wildfire since then. Data over the years have shown that the virus has existed within the United States since at least the mid to late 1970s. 3 No effective cure for HIV currently exist although many vaccine studies are underway around the world, but with the proper treatment and medical care provided by the medical team, HIV can be controlled and have low transmission rates. The medicine we use to treat HIV is referred to as antiretroviral therapy or ART. When a person infected HIV adheres to the medication correctly, it will allow for them to live longer and have healthier lives. 2

“The Human Immunodeficiency Virus, most commonly known as HIV, is a lentivirus that spreads through bodily fluids and targets specific in cells of the immune system” (CDC). Over time, HIV deteriorates these cells, and consequently leaves the body unable to fight off infections and disease. When this occurs, the HIV infection transgresses into Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, also known as AIDS. AIDS continues to obliterate the immune system and leaves its victims more susceptible to opportunistic illnesses which utilize the body’s weakened state and cause more devastating illnesses. “According to the World Health Organization, HIV/AIDS are ranked as the 6th leading causes of death with a staggering 1.5 million deaths since 2012” (WHO). With this issue becoming an international crisis affecting millions, advocacy about HIV and safe sex has drastically increased around the globe due to humanitarian organizations, and increased awareness about the disease.