Hiv / Aids : Hiv And Aids

Human immunodeficiency virus, also known as HIV, is an infectious disease that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) when left untreated. With AIDS, an individual’s immune system is severely compromised which leads to life-threatening infections, cancer, and eventual death. HIV is primarily transmitted via direct blood contact, breast milk, and sexual contact. With the exception of one highly unique case, HIV is incurable but can be suppressed with highly-active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). When HAART was introduced in 1996, HIV/AIDS related deaths have decreased dramatically, and HAART, when used for prophylactic measures (treatment plan also known as PrEP), has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection (Center for Disease Control, 2016).

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection is a long-term (chronic) viral infection. HIV kills white blood cells that help to control the body's defense system (immune system) and fight infection. HIV spreads through semen, pre-seminal fluid, blood, breast milk, rectal fluid, and vaginal fluid. HIV is commonly spread through sexual contact and sharing needles or syringes, because these behaviors involve exchanging bodily fluids. Without treatment, HIV can turn into AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), an advanced stage of HIV infection. AIDS is a very serious illness and can be life-threatening.

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.

HIV/AIDs is a huge epidemic still plaguing society today. The lack of knowledge and technical advances has caused an increasing number of cases. It has made its way around the world since the 1940s, causing countries to join together in the fight against AIDs. With all the campaigning that has been done the numbers of cases continue to rise. Countries have separated the disease into three patterns to make it easier to distinguish the effects that AIDs has on different regions of the world. As well as what subtypes sprout from what areas. HIV/AIDs can be spread in many different ways. The future is still uncertain for the victims whom lives have been dramatically changed by this deadly disease.

AIDS is very prevalent throughout all of Africa. The presence of this epidemic is a massive problem that affects millions all throughout the entire continent. Former United States President, Bill Clinton, once said “We live in a completely interdependent world, which simply means we cannot escape each other. How we respond to AIDS depends, in part, on whether we understand this interdependence. It is not someone else 's problem. This is everybody 's problem”. It is known that AIDS are a problem, it is also know that they are a very big problem in Africa. The people of Africa, and truly people all around the world, need to realize how large of a problem AIDS are in Africa. The death numbers are astonishing and are something that we can help cut down on. Action needs to be taken in an attempt to prevent and also treat the epidemic that is AIDS.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the region of the world that is most affected by HIV/AIDS. The United Nations reports that an estimated 25.4 million people are living with HIV and that approximately 3.1 million new infections occurred in 2004. To put these figures in context, more than 60 percent of the people living with the infection reside in Africa. Even these staggering figures do not quite capture the true extent and impact that this disease causes on the continent. In 1998, about 200,000 Africans died as a result of various wars taking place on the continent. In that same year, more than 2 million succumbed to HIV/AIDS (Botchwey, 2000).

Although advancements in AIDS research have continued over the past 2 decades, the misconception that people can contract the AIDS virus from sharing a drink is still prevalent. Aids is a major issue throughout the world and kills many people. One of the problems with aids is that it can kill people. A current solution for aids is there are medicines that people suffering from aids take and these medicines increase a person with aids life span. A future plan for aids is to find a cure so that people stop dying from aids. Aids is a recurring problem throughout history and it needs to be stopped so people stop dying.

HIV is a virus that affects all parts of the globe. However, there are two major global epidemics. The first being in the west and developing countries. In these areas the pattern of infection is found in certain groups. These groups being “drug injectors, gay men and prostitutes” (Pisani p. ) This epidemic is known as the “concentrated epidemic”. This particular pattern HIV spreads rapidly in a concentrated groups. This is because you are most likely to pass on the virus when you are in the first stage of HIV. In a concentrated tight knit group of people who are having several sex partners and sharing needles with others it is easy for the virus to be transmitted. The other epidemic pattern is seen in east and southern Africa as well as some parts of east Africa and the Caribbean. This pattern is also known as “generalised epidemic”. This pattern is different because HIV is in the general population appose to a concentrated population.

According to Feldman and Miller, HIV is a virus that breaks down the immune system of the host it possesses (Feldman xxvi). AIDS is sometimes called full blown HIV, as it is believed to be a direct effect of HIV (Feldman xxviii). AIDS is more serious and causes more casualties, and when it develops to its fuller extent, there’s nearly nowhere to go but down. HIV can be spread by, needle sharing, breast-feeding, blood transfusions, vomit to an open wound, and organ transplants. In second and third world countries with limited resources, such as South Africa, these activities are not monitored or sanitized and the risk of attainting HIV/AIDS is high. By affecting over twelve percent of South Africa’s population since its first diagnosis in

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.

The disease HIV first appeared in Africa in the 1800’s. It originated from a chimpanzee and was likely transmitted to humans when the chimpanzee was hunted down for food and the hunters came into contact with the infected blood. The disease became an epidemic around the 1970’s and has since affected the lives of many people worldwide (aids.gov, what is HIV/AIDS).

Human Immunodeficiency Virus, better known as the acronym HIV is a virus that destroys the immune system and can evolve into an infection. HIV is known a as pandemic because the immune system can fight off the infection but can never clear the HIV out of the body. “HIV is spread through contact with the blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, or breast milk of a person infected with HIV.” [AIDS] According to AIDS.info, in the United States, the virus is usually contracted through vaginal sex, anal sex, and the sharing of injection required drug equipment with a person that is already infected with HIV.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, global health problem, mode of transmission, risk behavior, incidence, prevalence, preventive modes, pandemic, epidemic, symptoms and characteristics of the

The African continent represents 12% of the worlds population, but Sub-Saharan Africa disproportionately represents nearly 70% of the worlds HIV cases (1). Within that, it has been estimated that there are 6.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa, which is the highest number from any country in the world (2), and represents 17% of the global burden of HIV infection (3).

When we started this project, we wanted to see how much the average high school student knew about HIV/AIDS- ourselves having minimal knowledge of the disease. In order to do so, we created a quiz and charted the results. After reviewing the results of the quiz, we realized that this ISP is giving us the platform to inform and enlighten ourselves and others of this serious global phenomenon. The quiz consisted of basic questions regarding HIV/AIDS and the ratio of correct to incorrect answers was mostly even with a few irregularities (see Chart One and Two). This project will correct the incorrect and help raise awareness of the disease that is sweeping the nation.