Hiv / Aids : An Epidemic Of The United States

The gay community of San Francisco rebelled against the wishes of the scientists to close the bathhouses, places where homosexual men would go for sexual encounters.  The scientists claimed their findings may support the idea of the illness being sexually transmitted.  The gays felt it was just another political ploy or social discrimination.  They continued to face high intolerance and didn’t want to be labeled the cause of this lethal, unexplained disease.  The original name, Gay-Related Immune Deficiency, GRID, placed a stigma upon the disease, increasing the fear of gays in our society.  Once other cases were investigated, non-gay related cases, everyone was baffled, but it propelled support from all around.  These non-gay related cases were confused and reluctant to come forth to the medical community, as they were not gay and should not have this gay-related disease.  This hindered the research process further.

Health is a state of well being, and ideally, in an equal society, all people should be provided with the necessary tools to maintain that state of health. Ideals are mere fantasies, however, since even the most developed countries fall victim to health inequities. These inequities are avoidable inequalities in health between different groups of people. African Americans are among many other groups of people that fall victim to a system that, sometimes inconspicuously creates barriers wherein people cannot adequately arm themselves with the tools to remain healthy. One of the most common health inequities among African Americans is the HIV/AIDs virus. This viruses significance is relatively recent in human history, but the damage it has

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)

Once the New York Time published Rare Cancer seen in 41 Homosexuals, it stated that, “Doctors in New York and California have diagnosed among homosexual men 41 cases of a rare and often rapidly fatal form of cancer.” (Atlman) This started the stigma that this cancer was only affecting homosexuals and the term “gay cancer” was created. By the end of 1981 there were 270 gay men with severe immune deficiency and about 44% of those men had passed away the same year. Additionally, researchers started calling this illness GRID which stood for Gay-Related Immune Deficiency. Consequently, A Timeline of HIV/AIDS on the government website on AIDS stated, “This terminology influences both the medical profession and the public to perceive the epidemic as limited to gay men, with serious long-term consequences for women, heterosexual men, hemophiliacs, people who inject drugs, and children. (“A Timeline of HIV/AIDS”2017) Because it was perceived as something that only affected the LGBTQ+ community causes that arouse of other people created a fear among

The prevalence of HIV in the African American community is unmatched by any other population. African Americans accounted for 49% of all HIV related deaths in 2010 (CDC, 2014). In my specialty area of family practice, I have encountered only one non-minority patient with HIV; all others have been African-American. This population needs to be of high consideration for disease education. African Americans are typically unaware of resources available to prevent the transmission of this disease, as well as testing available to them in their communities. African American children, especially, are at greater risk for HIV due to lack of knowledge and earlier age of engaging in sexual intercourse. They are typically unaware that their behavior can yield such a negative outcome (CDC, 2012). Many urban schools lack proper funding to accommodate a sexual education curriculum. It is of increased importance to raise awareness, educate and provide a plan of care for the African American teenage and adult population, as the incidence of this disease rises daily.

HIV/AIDS, was a disease with social stigma due to its association with the gay community. However, after the rise of sexual liberation starting in the 1960s, the fear of homosexuals became more concrete, as sexuality was discussed more openly[footnoteRef:35]. Historically a disease was viewed in both social and cultural terms, and the ill can be viewed as being caused by perversions from societal norms[footnoteRef:36]. This happened with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. For conservatives, HIV/AIDS was a justified specter, one that could be vindicated as “God’s Judgement” and as a crackdown on the “heinous lifestyle”[footnoteRef:37]. Because HIV/AIDS was so concentrated in particularly deviant groups, the logical linkage of the disease to the gay lifestyle was easy. “Gays (IDUs) chose to be gay (and drug injectors) of their own will. A Supreme Court decision in June 1986 reinforced the moral

HIV is highly prevalent among the United States population, primarily affecting African Americans of all economic levels and age groups. HIV is transmissible through sexual contact and damages the immune system as it interferes with the individual’s capability to fight off any infections or illnesses. Health inequalities that greatly affect the high rates of HIV include but are not limited to: higher rates of poverty, lack of awareness, intercourse within the same sex, having anxiety towards getting tested for STD’s or HIV, as well as being fearful of “coming out”. Local, state, and nationwide organizations are designed to inform and provide assistance to those who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. S.A.A.F. (Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation)

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that there are currently 1.1 million people living with HIV in the United States (2017). The southern region of the United States continues lead the country in rates of new HIV infections (CDC, 2017). Jacksonville, Florida is among several southern cities reporting disproportionately high numbers of new HIV infections (ADSVu, 2017). In 2014, there were 6,553 individuals living with HIV in Jacksonville, Florida and 309 new infections were reported in 2015 (ADSVu, 2017).

The prevalence of HIV in prison populations has been a growing concern as the number of infected prisoners is nearly double that of the general adult population. HIV in prison settings is a serious issue not only in the U.S but worldwide due to the commonality of high risk-behaviors among all prison populations such as rape, drug use and needle sharing, tattooing and unsafe sex practices. This makes prisons a breeding ground for the onward transmission of HIV due to the over crowdedness, combined with the atmosphere of violence and fear. The release from such tensions are typically found in these high-risk behaviors, especially drug use and unsafe sex, the two most common transmissions of HIV. Although many correctional institutions have some form of HIV testing in place, their policies and procedures widely vary. Mandatory testing specifically in prisons is a mandated test performed with or without consent during the admission process (Gagnon, 2013).

One of the many global health concerns is HIV. This disease is very deadly because HIV eventually can change to AIDS and at this time there is no prevention for it. In the United States, HIV is spread mainly by having sex with or sharing drug injection equipment with someone who is infected with HIV. Also mother-to-child transmission is the most common way that child get HIV. human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is a lentivirus that causes HIV infection and over time acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS is a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunities infections and cancers to thrive. The sign and symptoms, Headache, Diarrhea, Nausea, Vomiting, Fatigue Aching Muscles, Sore throat,

During the spring of 1981, cases of Pneumocystis pneumonia and Kaposi’s sarcoma were reported in homosexual men in New York and California1. This marked the start of the AIDS epidemic in the United States as research led to the discovery of HIV as the causative agent 2. Complacency was rampant as many deemed this the disease of gay men. Over time, HIV proved itself as an equal opportunity infection targeting all demographics1. Despite declines in new infections since the peak in the mid 1980s, HIV remains a health concern particularly in low income, minority, and LGBTQ communities 3.

Approximately 34 years ago a covert infectious agent plagued a distinct group of individuals, and took its rightful place in medicinal history. Young homosexual men were succumbing to rare terminal malignancies at an alarming rate, causing doctors to notify the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention alongside other healthcare agencies of its disturbing effects. In the early 1980’s, light was shed upon a new illness formally described as gay compromise syndrome, GRID (gay-related immune deficiency), or gay cancer. After a significant number of heterosexuals were infected, those names were considered redundant and the acronym AIDS was adopted.

HIV and AIDS was virtually undocumented prior to the 1980’s. In 1981 and 1982, there were sporadic cases of gay men developing immune deficiency illnesses resulting in death. In 1982, the CDC, for the first time, used the term AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). In 1983, the disease was confirmed in female sexual partners of men with the disease. Additionally, initial cases of newborn children acquiring the disease through their mothers were documented and, while the CDC confirmed that the disease could not be contracted through casual contact, the suspicion and fear of the public only grew (History of HIV and AIDS).

From late 1980 to mid-1981 spanning a period of eight months, five men were reported being the earliest AIDS cases. From 1981 to 1983, 1000 cases were reported to CDC. 71% of these 1000 cases reported being homosexuals or MSM. Due to the unavailability of information on AIDS and the homosexuals being the initial population effected, AIDS came to be known as gay cancer, or gay plague, gay related disorder among several other names (Bönig, Schmidt, Hourfar, Schüttrumpf & Seifried, 2012).

The first cases of AIDS that were reported in the United States began in the early 1980s. Today, more than 1.1 million people are living with HIV. In response to this HIV epidemic, at least 35 states have implemented HIV-specific criminal laws that penalize HIV-positive people for exposing others to the virus. These laws impose criminal penalties to HIV positive people that knowingly and potentially expose others to the virus. The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act, also known as the CARE Act, provides states with funds for AIDS treatment and care. In 1990, the CARE Act required every state to certify that its “criminal laws were adequate to prosecute any HIV-infected individual who knowingly exposed another person to HIV.” Criminal laws regarding potential HIV exposure vary largely from state to state. Some federal legislation addresses the criminal penalties for intentional exposure such as through blood donation. CDC and Department of Justice researches found that, “ by 2011, a total of 67 laws explicitly focused on persons living with HIV had been enacted in 33 states… In 24 states, laws require persons who are aware that they have HIV disclose their status to sexual partners and 14 states require disclosure to needle-sharing partners.” The criminal laws vary as to what behaviors are criminalized or result in additional penalties. The criminal statutes regarding intentional exposure to AIDS for Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama ,Georgia, and