The Berlin Patient : Timothy Ray Brown

“I am going to beat it... Life is going to go on for me and I’m going to be a happy man” (Gutman 42). On November 7, 1991 Magic Johnson announced he had human immunodeficiency virus or HIV (Healthline). This disease has cost people their lives and people's lives are changed from it.

The term Human Immunodeficiency Virus is commonly known as (HIV), which is a virus that attacks the immune system of humans by destroying the amount of CD4 cells in their bodies. Without CD4 the human body is unable to fight against diseases, which can lead to Acquired Immune deficiency syndrome known as AIDS for short. The first case of the HIV/AIDS virus in the U.S. occurred in the early 1980’s. The first spark of the virus was found in San Francisco with couple of homosexual Caucasian American males. Today African Americans account for the largest proportion of HIV and AIDS in this country, represent approximately 13% of the U.S. population, but accounted for an estimated 44% of new HIV infections in 2010(the last year a study was

As decades pass, it becomes evident that medical research plays a vital role in saving lives and containing deadly epidemics. Without the advancement of modern medicine, these lethal diseases could undeniably erase mankind in its entirety. AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, was the fire that medical researchers were trying to contain since the first reported case of AIDS swept across American headlines on June 5, 1981 (“Timeline”). As mentioned in the Billy Joel’s song “We Didn’t Start The Fire,” AIDS played an influential role in shaping modern medicine and treatment. Acquired immune deficiency puzzled researchers from the start, however, physicians discovered the origin, method of transfer, treatment, and containment methods for

The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome denotes a spectrum of conditions that are caused by the HIV virus. Infection with this disease does not result in the instant occurrence of the related signs and symptoms. However, an individual is likely to experience flu-like symptoms after he or she is infected with it. Eventually, the person experiences a prolonged period of apparent health with no visible signs. On progression, the infection adversely interferes with the immune system of the individual. The weakening of the body’s defense system increases the risk of recurrence of common infections and opportunistic illnesses that

AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is related to HIV, but they are not one in the same. A person has AIDS only in the final stages of HIV, after the immune system becomes unable to defend itself against foreign bacteria, other viruses, and fungi, and allows for the development of certain cancers. The world first became aware of AIDS in the early 1980s. Growing numbers of gay men in New York and California were developing rare types of pneumonia and cancer, and a wasting disease was spreading in Uganda. Doctors reported AIDS symptoms under different names, including “gay-related immune deficiency” and “slim,” but by 1985, they reported them all over the world.

As a disease, HIV, or the Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a blood-borne virus that is transmitted from person to person via sexual intercourse, mother to child, or intravenous drug paraphernalia. The virus itself causes, usually over a period of time, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, or AIDS. AIDS actually targets the immune system and causes an immunosuppression which makes people who have the virus more susceptible to cancers and infections. This is the most unique feature of the HIV/AIDS virus and is the most deadly since its implications are destructive if not properly treated (Moore 51). The significance of this disease is one that began in the 1980’s and initially was thought to be a virus only found within homosexual communities and was even originally called Gay-Related Immunodeficiency Virus. However, in 1981, it was found that the virus was spreading beyond the gay community when Blacks accounted for 25% of the HIV/AIDs population and a trend began where Blacks continued to contract HIV significantly more than

Mr. .J. is a 30 year old Caucasian male presented to the Emergency Department with symptoms of myalgia, fever, rash, swollen glands, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia. Mr. J. reported fever and sore throat started about a week ago and the rash presented today. Mr. J. stated “I thought I had the flu but I am not feeling any better and now I have a rash, that’s why I decided to come to the E.D.”. (Health and Human Services panel, 2013)

In the 1980s, a mysterious disease began to take the lives of Americans. With the cause unknown, a fear grew among Americans. An unusually high rate of people was becoming sick with strange and rare diseases. When experimental treatments failed to work, people died. This mysterious disease is what we now know as HIV–Human Immunodeficiency Virus. In the past thirty-five years, the HIV has taken many turns in history. Although we do not hear about HIV and AIDS now, it is still a prevalent issue in the United States and in the world.

Magic Johnson had the disease called Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, also known as AIDS, a form of Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV (Web MD). The disease was discovered in 1981. This disease has several symptom like swelling of lymph nodes, soaking night sweats, fever over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, headaches, blurry vision or any vision problem, and chronic diarrhea (Frey). The symptoms start to occur two to four week after infected (NIAID). There is still no cure for the disease (Frey). In the world about 3.34 children have HIV and about 700 children become infected each day. (CARE). Sixty-nine percent of people in our region are living with HIV (CARE). In 2012 about 1.6 million people died because of AIDS (CARE). Percentages of HIV have dropped nearly thirty-three percent in the past sixteen years (CARE).

In the episode of “Secretes of the Dead III: Mystery of the Black Death”, Dr. Stephen O’Brien, a geneticist, discovers an explanation as to why some individuals succeeded to survive the Black death while others just seemed to die. With this being said, the film is clearly devoted to convincing us that the C-C chemokine receptor type 5, also known as CCR5-delta 32, mutation is the ultimate reason to the survival of certain individuals during the bubonic plaque in the city of Eyam, England. Furthermore, this same CCR5 mutation can confer immunity to the current human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and thus prevent AIDS. Although the evidence such as the DNA testing of the living ancestors and that of HIV-negative individuals proving immune resistance

The majority of these men were gay or bisexual. Later they noticed people with hemophilia, who needed frequent blood transfusions, and people who were intravenous drug users contracting the disease (Zuger). The disease that the doctors were noticing was HIV/AIDS and it is now a pandemic, having killed 25 million worldwide since 1981. AIDS is the acquired immune deficiency syndrome caused by HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus. The virus is spread through bodily fluids and it damages the immune system. The damaged immune system opens the body up to opportunistic infections that otherwise wouldn't pose a problem. HIV becomes AIDS if the immune system breaks down enough. Currently there is no cure for AIDS however certain drugs can help keep HIV from developing into AIDS. Additional medications can combat the opportunistic infections

Everyone has heard of the concentration Camp Auschwitz, but most don’t know about the horrific things that took place. The novel, Auschwitz: A Doctors Eyewitness Account, by Dr.Miklos Nyiszli, he talks about his experiences of being a doctor in Auschwitz. He is forced into performing experiments on his own people when he serves under the evil Dr.Meingle. From this book, it taught me how Dr. Nyiszli was driven to survive so he could tell about his experiences in Auschwitz.

During the month of December, in the year 1984 a thirteen year old boy got a blood transfusion. This transfusion caused young Ryan White to contract AIDS. Young White was given six months to live with this life threatening disease. Because Ryan was born with hemophilia A he became one of the first people to be diagnosed with AIDS and had hemophilia. The story of Ryan White helps people all over the world understand the part in US history that was against the gay population.

“ Since Auschwitz we know what man is capable of. And since Hiroshima we know what is at stake. - Victor Frankl Auschwitz Survivor. The Auschwitz concentration camp was one of the worst holocaust camps where over one million prisoners experienced brutal living conditions, execution, or were used for medical experiments. Auschwitz was one of the many camps operated by Nazi Germany to make their “enemies” suffer for what they think made them lost The Great War. Do you think these people and prisoners were innocent to these crimes against them? The prisoners this did happen to didn’t think so much of it.

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,