Hiv / Aids : An Infectious Disease

Since its identification approximately two decades ago, HIV has increasingly spread globally, surpassing expectations (1). The number of people living with HIV worldwide is estimated to be 36 million, with 20 million people having died from the disease, giving a total number of 56 million being infected (1). In 2000 alone, 5.3 million people were infected with HIV and there is potential for further spread. HIV infection rates vary all over the world with the highest rates in Sub-Saharan Africa (1). Responding to this epidemic has been a challenge as infection rates have increased worldwide despite tremendous public health efforts by nations (1). The identification of potential interventions to reduce the magnitude of the problem has

There are many health problems that we face globally and each of them are important for us to be aware of and to take precautions and measures to prevent and treat such diseases that affect our global population. HIV/AIDS is a disease that is spread through direct contact with body fluids from a person who is infected with the virus, these fluids include blood, semen, rectal fluid, vaginal fluids and breast milk. There are an approximate 35 million people living with the disease globally as of 2015 and about 1 million of those people are children under the age of 15 (Aids.gov, 2016). There are approximately 1.2 million people in the U.S. living with the disease and of those individuals many became infected with HIV by needle or syringe sharing,

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a serious condition in our society. If left untreated, HIV can progress to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) (CDC, 2016a). Once a person is infected with HIV, it can never be completely removed from the body, meaning they are infected for the remainder of their life (CDC, 2016a). HIV was initially thought to be a problem only in younger generations (Ellman, Sexton, Warshafsky, Sobieszczyk, & Morrison, 2014). However, evidence has emerged suggesting that an epidemic may be brewing in the older adult population (Ellman et al., 2014; Karpiak & Brennan-Ing, 2016; Robnett & Chop, 2015). I decided to research this topic, because I personally had no idea that HIV was so prevalent in this age group.

The AIDS epidemic, from its beginning, has elicited a variety of responses from individuals and governments alike. Because the disease was originally shrouded in such mystery, many did not know how to react, which fostered a default fear of the unknown response. This attitude lead to many governments adopting a denialist policy, countless individuals living and eventually dying alone due to an unwillingness to report their illness for fear of consequence or prejudice, and this allowed the HIV virus flourish. Several countries responded efficiently and effectively to the presence of the HIV virus in their midst, while other countries maintained an attitude of ignorance. The latter position contributed to a huge expanse of the HIV epidemic

Despite advances in screening and treatment for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) over the last 30 years, HIV remains a significant global issue (World Health Organization [WHO], 2015; Yagoda & Moore, 2016). The United States (US) experienced a brief decline in new HIV cases, but total HIV incidence has failed to decrease meaningfully in the past 25 years (Yagoda &Moore, 2016). According to the US Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) (2015), there are approximately 56,000 new cases of HIV per year and that number has been holding steady over the last decade. Current strategies to prevent HIV transmission include antiretroviral treatment (ART) for HIV-infected people, voluntary medical male circumcisions, HIV testing, harm reduction, and behavioral risk reduction (Baeten & Heffron, 2014).

African Americans of different age groups are greatly affected by HIV/AIDS in the South but studies show that there is an increasing rate among adolescent African American males and females. In 2009, young African Americans between the ages of 15 and 29 accounted for 39% of new HIV infections, although this group represents 21% of the US population (Barras et al., 2012, p. 4).

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS (auto immunodeficiency syndrome – the final stage of HIV) can be classified as one of the most devastating epidemics in United States history (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015). Although still an alarming concern in public health, due to prevention strategies and medical advances, the disease is less fatal and is treated as a chronic disease (instead of a death sentence, as in the past). There are currently 1.2 million people living in the US with HIV (CDC, 2015). The highest rates transmitted through sexual intercourse or injection drug use through the exchange of bodily fluids (CDC, 2015). It is estimated that 25% of those living with HIV are women, and only

My system is Infectious and Parasistic diseases. I’ve chosen HIV/AIDS as my topic because it is a world-wide epidemic and I believe everybody should know their HIV status. I will first give the basics about HIV, how it is transmitted, tests used to detect the virus and medications to control it.

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

At the end of 2011, an estimated 1.2 million people aged 13 and older were living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that approximately 50,000 people are newly infected with HIV each year (CDC, 2013). Fortunately, after more than 30 years of research on HIV, much progress has been made in fighting this disease. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) transformed what was once a death sentence into a manageable disease for individuals with drug-susceptible viral strains, who have access to antiretroviral drugs, and are compliant with their prescribed therapy. ART not only prolongs life, but also dramatically reduces the rate of HIV transmission (Deeks et al., 2012). Unfortunately, substantial challenges exist to maintain access to and funding for lifelong ART (Dolin et al., 2009; HRSA, 2012; Lewin, 2013), standard therapies do not fully restore health or a normal immune system in HIV-infected individuals, and patients still experience comorbidities, such as increased cardiovascular diseases, bone disorders, and cognitive impairment (Deeks et al., 2012; Hsue et al., 2012; Phillips et al., 2008). It is possible that these HIV-associated complications are due to the toxic effects of treatment or the consequences of persistent inflammation and immune dysfunction (Katlama et al., 2013). Therefore, the International AIDS Society (IAS) convened a team of more than 40 scientists

Societies have been devastated by a number of epidemiological outbreaks, but few diseases have been as antagonistic as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The global transmission of this disease has been perpetuated by the ease of long distance travel and immigration (Magis-Rodriguez, 2004; Xu et al., 2014). Throughout the past 35 years the course of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), as well as patterns of immigration, have changed immensely. Given the increase in both HIV and immigration, specifically in North Carolina (NC), this dissertation will focus mostly on changes, concerns, and strengths pertaining to the screening and treatment for HIV among Latino immigrants in NC. The

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is an immune system disorder that can be contracted through sexual activity as well as other types of contact. (Healthy Living, pg. 79) If left untreated this virus can turn into AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). AIDS is the final stage of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). (aids.gov) AIDS is an incurable progressive disease that causes gradual destruction of CD4 T cells by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). (Diseases, pg. 431) A healthy adult has a CD4 T cell count of 1,000 or more but a person suffering from HIV could have a count lower than 200. CD4 T cells are crucial to the immune system; without them the immune system would not have the ability to fight off infections.

HIV, also known as the human immunodeficiency virus attacks and destroys the CD4 cells of the immune system. The CD4 are a type of white blood cell that have the role of preventing disease, when the level of these cells reduces due to the HIV virus the ability of the body to fight and prevent disease also reduces; at this stage a person is said to have the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDs).

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an obligate intracellular parasite found exclusively in humans. It is responsible for weakening the immune system and leading to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The first case of AIDS was diagnosed in the U.S. in 1981, and in 1984 it was first proven that HIV caused AIDS. There is currently a pandemic of HIV/AIDS, with the highest incidence rate in Sub-Saharan Africa and the lowest rates in Western Europe and North America, due to better healthcare.

It is hard to think of a place that HIV and AIDS is more drastic in Africa than in the Sub-Saharan part of Africa. Whereas, you hear that HIV AND AIDS is common in low and middle income countries and Sub-Saharan Africa in one of them.