Each individual’s experience with the contraction of HIV/AIDS varies in terms of being personal or family related. HIV/AIDS has been a longstanding health issue affecting sub Saharan Africa. However, countries around the world are all susceptible to having a heightened risk of HIV/AIDS infections spread to their regions through the migration of people. HIV/AIDS is a health concern characterizing sub Saharan Africa because of the treatment of women in society, extreme poverty resulting in the lack of education for people and access to basic needs, and government inaction to address the concern with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The experiences individual’s encounter when it comes to HIV/AIDS can be a type of social determinants for how one …show more content…
To emphasize this hardships regarding women living in this geographic region, “women are [often] denied equal access to economic resources, housing, health care, legal protection, land, schooling, inheritance, and employment in the formal sector” (Farmer et al., 1996, p. 51). When analyzing cultures and their backgrounds, cultures may vary in what is acceptable in one culture may not be acceptable in another, depending on the culture itself. The belief system in marriages are said to be different between sub Saharan Africa and western societies. When a women marries often at a young age, her husband will take control of the relationship both physical and social, thus this patriarchal view highlights the difficulty for women living in this region to practice safe sex through the use of protection. According to the regional statistics published by UNAIDS, it was reported that in 2013, “there were 24.7 million people in sub Saharan Africa who were living with HIV/AIDS”. This statistic cannot be overlooked because of the 24.7 million people infected with this disease in this region, women actually accounted for “58% of the total number of people living with human immunodeficiency virus” (UNAIDS.org, 2014). Furthermore, of the 24.7 million individuals infected with HIV/AIDS the provision of
In The Invisible Cure, Helen Epstein talks about why HIV/AIDS rate is so high in Africa compared to the rest of the world. Through the book, she gives us an account of the disease and the struggles that many health experts and ordinary Africans went through to understand this disease, and how different African countries approached the same problem differently. Through this paper, I will first address the different ways Uganda and Southern African countries, South Africa and Botswana in particular, dealt with this epidemic, and then explain how we can use what we have learned from these African countries to control outbreaks of communicable disease elsewhere around the world.
The infection rates of HIV in women ages 15-24 is approximately twice as high as men in the same age group. Access to sexual and reproductive health services in Africa is restricted by the gender inequality, stigma and discrimination in the face of high HIV/AIDS prevalence. The study is limited to 2 cities, Uyo and Calabar; major centers of HIV/AIDS response. Interviews reveal that large numbers of people, especially from rural regions, are improperly informed and unaware of the nature of HIV/AIDS. An outreach program displayed HIV prevention messages, but the signs were in English. Access to ART can be difficult. Poorer women cannot afford repeat visits to clinics. Societal issues are present; HIV/AIDS stigma is widespread and families will outcast individuals, denying them of any support. The study also showed a declining confidence in ART as a form of treatment. Respondents reported cases of those on HIV/AIDS treatment who developed further infections. The article displays the need for better education and programs to help people access treatment for
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus (Avert). It is virus that attacks the immune system, our body’s defense against disease (Avert). Individuals who become infected with HIV will find it harder to fight infections (Avert). HIV is located in semen, blood, vaginal and anal fluids, and breast milk (HIV and Aids). The most common method to become infected is through anal or vaginal sex without a condom (HIV and Aids). Other forms of contraction include using infected needles/ syringes, from mother to child during pregnancy, or breastfeeding (HIV and Aids). If left untreated, AIDS can evolve, this is when a person’s immune system becomes too weak to fight infection and can no longer defend itself (What is AIDS). Despite there not being a cure, an early diagnosis and effective treatment can enable people to live a normal, healthy life (HIV and Aids). This paper will focus on the HIV epidemic. It will compare and contrast HIV in the United States and in Kenya. The paper will review the specific populations affected, testing and counseling centers, funding and economic impact, and prevention programs each country is executing.
Lack of information and skills, little contact to contraceptive methods including condoms and exposure to forced sex puts people at high risk of HIV infections. A series of complications to their use of health amenities may make it challenging for them to gain the information and health services they require. A growing quantity of people existing with HIV is being accused for transferring the virus to their sexual companion(s). Spreading HIV to others has been in the media since the widespread first began and some of the people worried have even been unlawfully accused and confined. It may appear evident to accuse someone for infecting someone with a virus that has the possibility to be lethal, this hypothesis and its penalties can cause several
Sub-Saharan Africa leads top position among other countries in having HIV infected population. The pathetic condition of Africa is due to promiscuity and their casual attitudes toward sex. Sexual promiscuity and AIDS are closely correlated, as promiscuity becomes the major reason for the transmission of this deadly virus. Several sexual practices people have may increase the risk of infection of HIV/AIDS for example homosexuality. Even though homosexuality does not have anything with the traditional aspects, it exists in places where few women are present and in situations where authoritative male can have advantage over the other males. Homosexuality is prevailed in many parts of world that may lead to the transmission of HIV/AIDS. Sugar daddies contribute more in the act of spreading HIV. As per a study in British, young girls are the victims who are infected with HIV because of these sugar daddies who date with young girl and support monetarily. Many poverty-stricken countries such as Africa and South East Asia are the target of these sugar daddies who can win girls for money.
The AIDS epidemic is one of the greatest challenges facing our generation. AIDS/HIV is an extraordinary threat to human development requiring sustainability and commitment over the long term. In recent years, public awareness towards the issues of HIV/AIDS, gender, and food security in sub- Saharan Africa has increased dramatically. The case study in Sub- Saharan Africa examines the spread of the epidemic ad its impact on food insecurity through gender lens. The Global AIDS epidemic report stated that one of the biggest challenges of the coming year is the female face of the epidemic (UNAIDS, 2004). In 2011, Sub- Saharan Africa was home to 69% of all people living with HIV/ AIDS worldwide (UNAIDS, 2012). Moreover, Peter Piot, the executive
The purpose of this literature review is to examine what researchers has discovered about the knowledge and attitudes of women around the world regarding Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and protection. HIV is one of the most rapidly increasing sexually transmitted diseases today. 34. million people were living with HIV at the end of 2011. That same year, some 2.5 million people became newly infected, and 1.7 million died of AIDS-related causes 1
Sub Saharan Africa is a region located on the southern end of the African continent made up of 29 diverse countries that contain different languages, cultures, and resources. The people of Sub Saharan Africa rely heavily on agriculture and livestock as their main sources of economy. Common practices throughout the region consist of patriarchal gender roles. Although many countries are experiencing a slowing in population over the years, Africa is predicted to reach more than 2 billion people by the year 2050 (Geo Hive), but it also has the most serious HIV/AIDS epidemic in the world. Although each country varies in its culture, there is a strong correlation between AIDS, poverty, and societal values throughout the entire region of Sub Saharan Africa. Significant poverty in many of these countries is both the cause and the outcome of the high incidents of AIDS. Commercial sex, a common and widely practiced outcome of poverty has played a role in spreading the epidemic. AIDS has also been spread throughout the region as a result of the societal values practiced such as polygamy, teenage marriage, and church rulings, all contributing to making AIDS the number one killer in Sub Saharan Africa.
What is Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)? AIDS is the disease that an individual with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) has a chance of getting when their immune system becomes so damaged, opening up the body to many different illnesses. According to medical research not everyone who has HIV will in fact be advance to the final stage of the disease, especially when caught and treated early on. For someone to be diagnosed with AIDS typically they would have contracted an infection or cancer from their immune system being too weak to fight the infection away, and in most cases their CD4 cells (T-cells) count would be under 200, the normal amount being between 500 and 1,600. A lot of people may wonder where did the HIV disease initially come from, and how did it spread? The answer is simply from chimpanzees in Central Africa, their version being called Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV). When humans needed to hunt these animals for food as far back as the 1800’s, it is believed that is when they contracted the virus and it transformed into the human version known as HIV, slowly working its way from Africa to the United States in the 1970’s (AIDS.gov, 2015). Once a person contracts HIV it starts to attack the CD4 positive lymphocytes which are part of our immune system that helps to fight off infection. The virus being so strong it has the power to turn healthy cells into unhealthy ones, eventually taking over the body’s defense against illnesses.
Hello, today we are discussing HIV and AIDS. This disease is known as a severe decline in one’s immune system resulting in a decreased ability to resist infection and malignancy. A lot of people ask what the difference between HIV and AIDS is. HIV is the virus that causes the disease AIDS. With this being said, I will now discuss some objectives that that will be covered throughout this lecture that I hope will help guide you as well as help you have a better understanding of the progression of this disease (Welcome to AIDS.gov, 2009).
HIV and AIDS may be not as common as it used to be, but its danger is everlasting. HIV is an STD that attacks the immune system. If left untreated, the disease will progress into AIDS. After a few years, the immune system will no longer be able to defend itself, leaving it vulnerable to opportunistic infections. In most cases, a person with HIV will show no symptoms of any kind. Meaning that they will not pursue treatment and will resume their sex life. Since HIV is a viral STD and not a bacterial one, it will last for life. There is no cure for it and the person will need treatment to keep the disease under wraps. If left untreated, the disease will progress into AIDS. AIDS, while not lethal, leaves the person infected at risk. At that point, the immune system is now too weak to fight off viruses. As a result, the person is now left at the mercy of opportunistic infections. While there is treatment for AIDS, it isn’t as simple as taking medication and requires the person undergo active treatment.
One major factor in the fight against HIV and AIDS is identifying the communities most at risk for facing a localized epidemic. As stated above, fighting an epidemic requires communities to have access to the proper preventative measures, education, and healthcare. For these reasons the disease is particularly prevalent in communities stricken with poverty, of low education, and high exposure to drugs. As of 2004, 90% of all 36.1 million known AIDS cases were reported in developing countries. For people living in these countries, protection against HIV is much more difficult due to lack of available contraceptives, little access to education, and poor healthcare. When a person infected with HIV cannot access medical treatment their infection quickly progresses into AIDS and depending on environmental factors very quickly leads to death. With this in mind, the fight against AIDS cannot be focused in just one region. Oftentimes more focus is placed on disease prevention in more developed first-world countries, but that tactic ignores a much greater problem and the unique struggles of treating epidemics in third-world nations.
Nigeria has an estimated population of 174 million people and 3.7% of this population are living with HIV/AIDS. Two hundred and ten thousand people died as a result of HIV/AIDS in 2011 (UNAID 2012). The first case of HIV in Nigeria was reported in 1986 and since then several programmes have been planned and implemented (NACA 2014). Nevertheless we are nowhere near eliminating the emergence of incidence cases considering the fact that there is no available cure for the disease (WHO AFRO 2013). Despite this, a reduction in prevalence was observed from 5.8% in 2001 to 4.1 % in 2010 and it highlights that it is possible to reduce prevalence by preventing the continuous transmission of the disease (NACA 2014). Therefore, there is need to restructure the existing policies and adopt new approaches to tackling this burdensome public health concern in Nigeria.
Ofcource you have heard about HIV and AIDS many times, but many of you don 't know the basics about them.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the cause of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) (Lamptey et al 2002). The transmission of this virus occurs through contact with blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk (Lamptey et al 2002). Sexual intercourse with a HIV infected partner is the most common cause of transmission. HIV can also spread through contact with contaminated syringes or needles and also be passed from mother to child through pregnancy, birth and breast feeding (Lamptey et al 2002). There is a general consensus that the HIV/AIDS epidemic may by the most destructive health crisis that we have faced (Lamptey et al 2006). Furthermore there is evidence that this epidemic has and will continue to cause havoc in relation to global health. This is especially true for countries in the developing world (Vii. Impact On The Health Sector). This article will the discuss the major health implications caused by the spread of HIV/AIDS focusing mainly on sub-Saharan Africa , while touching on a few other locations. Furthermore this paper aims to explore the actions taken towards the treatment and prevention of this disease. Finally future outcomes for HIV sufferers will be evaluated.