The Hiv / Aids Virus Essay

Human Immunodeficiency Virus is HIV that develops into AIDS, which is Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This virus starts to break down white blood cells, as a result the immune system starts to deteriorate and our greatest shield cannot fight any longer (Mayo Clinic, 2016). The CDC (2015) states, that over 1.2 million people live with HIV in the United States and most who are infected are oblivious of their disease. Healthy people 2020 has declared HIV a public health crisis in the United States, and continues to sweep the nation with more than 500,000 new cases each year (HealthyPeople2020,2016).

HIV/Aids pandemic is high in South Africa as compared to any other country in the world. Recent statistic show that 12% of South Africa’s population lives with the virus and including young children the percentage rises to 18% of the total population. Other neighboring countries such as Botswana also have high prevalence rates and this means that almost all southern African countries rank top among the most infected nations not only in Africa but the world around. In the past few years the number of south Africans being diagnosed of HIV has been rising and even though the infections among adolescents particularly male have been dropping the damage this infection is causing remains substantial both socially and economically. Based on demographic grouping the most infected are females below the age of 40. And of the females infected about 80% are aged between 20-24 years. Infection among males stands below 40% with those aged above 30 years being the most infected. The fact that aids is high in South Africa more than any other country in Africa makes it necessary to understand the reasons behind it. Steinberg (2008) in his book “Sizwe 's test: a young man 's journey through Africa 's AIDS epidemic” fails to understand why many people still die in south Africa despite the emergence of antiretroviral drugs. He however realizes that “stigma” remains the greatest challenge in as far as HIV/AIDS is

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.

After reading the five given articles carefully there are critical points that I would like to articulate in my reaction paper. These articles provoked me to think that we are blessed to have health professional that were able to discover HIV/AIDS and the causes of Kaposi 's Sarcoma and Pneumocystis pneumonia of homosexual men in July 1981, following the report of these cases of PCP and cases of other rare life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers in America we began to recognize the importance of being aware of HIV/AIDS (Altman). Maybe not need

Diseases have been affecting the globe for decades. In recent years there have been many infectious diseases have been occurring and spreading across society. Out of the many infectious diseases, there are two that are going to be examined. The two diseases that are going to be analyzed and reviewed are Ebola and AIDS. The two diseases have a high rate of death among people who have been infected. The right rate of death has occurred for decades. Both of these diseases are highly effective at attacking the immune system of the victims. These diseases are both infectious, but are different in several ways. In order to understand how to treat or contain these two diseases, it is informative to be educated on each disease, how it is spread, and what symptoms are prevalent.

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,

The early days of the AIDS epidemic drastically contrast AIDS in the present day. In order to get deep insights into the early days of the epidemic, two interviews were conducted. The two individuals interviewed were Scott and Susan. Both were in their 20’s when AIDS first emerged in 1981. Scott’s connection with HIV is extremely personal, as he was infected with the virus in 1987 and continues to remain HIV positive. On the other hand, Susan, is more removed from the situation having not personally experienced it. Scott currently works as a health educator for youth and speaks all around the country about both his story and about sexual education. Susan works in a preschool in Florida and is enjoying her life with both of her children at college. The 1980’s were a period of hiding and fear of HIV, it was not talked about during this time. Both public opinions and public health center’s (hospitals) decisions during this time did not help the growing stigmatization that HIV and AIDS patients already faced. Public education about HIV around the world through speakers like Scott and Florence from Uganda helped alleviate the fear and stigma behind HIV and AIDS to its current state of cultural acceptance and normality.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the majority of people in the world living with HIV/AIDS reside in Sub-Saharan Africa. Since there is currently no vaccine to prevent the spread of the infection, there have been countless attempts in the past to control the spread of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. There are multiple ways of infection spread in Sub-Saharan Africa. People are contracting the disease through, drug use, sexual relations, giving birth, and blood-to-blood contact. With so many ways to contract the infection it makes the prevention of spreading the infection so difficult, especially in such a low-income country. These challenges have not stopped many scientists, educators, and health-care professionals create interventions to try and stop the wildfire, that is the spread of HIV/AIDS in Sub- Saharan Africa. Most interventions have failed and some have helped. There are a huge amount of factors that need to be carefully thought about when creating an intervention. What looks good on paper may not work for the culture of a country. Making all people in sub- Saharan Africa listen, understand and act on a plan is nearly impossible.

Did you know that if a straight line of pennies was made down any given road, extending one mile, there would be over a hundred thousand dollars worth of change on the street? Dimes? Well over a million dollars. How about something that hits closer to home, something like lives? In 1996, when the AIDS pandamenic was at its peak, a memorial quilt made of individual panels about six feet by three feet in size was displayed in Washington D.C. Each square of the quilt represented a single victim whose life was claimed by the disease. Though many of the panels give only the victim’s name and birth/death dates, others included more personal items such as a pair of jeans, a teddy bear, or even a poem. Though there

The Ebola virus is a strong, serious, fatal illness, which has a large impact on the population today. In 2013, an outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) quickly grew into an epidemic of exceptional magnitude. The virus killed ten times more people than all previous EVD outbreaks taken together. The presence of the disease in towns and villages of countries such as Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, made the lives of people who live there unbearable. The poor healthcare infrastructures and penetrable borders between these countries turned the outbreak into a big challenge. The virus spread through the world pretty fast, which created a ripple of fear. The number of humans infected with the disease rose rapidly and drastically in recent years.

Even though HIV has impacted the developed world, it has specifically targeted our impoverished communities and has decreased life expectancy in these areas to be an average of 20 years old. In addition, this chapter presents critical historical information and statistics to identify the origins of these diseases and the genuine numbers associated with it. This paper will explore HIV and AIDS as a disease. The first chapter will discuss the history associated with HIV and AIDS. The second chapter will explain the process of HIV and AIDS which includes the stages, symptoms and contraction. The third chapter explains the misconceptions and stereotypes of HIV and AIDS. The fourth chapter explores women and children with HIV and AIDS. Finally, the fifth chapter discusses the medical interventions and future at risk

When it comes to HIV/AIDS, it is still today regarded as the most critical epidemic that affects a significant number of people in the world’s population. HIV statistics for the end of 2013 indicate that around 35 million people are currently living with HIV worldwide, 38 percent less than in 2001. In the same year, around 2.1 million people became infected with HIV and 1.5 million died of AIDS-related illnesses. HIV and AIDS are found in all parts of the world, however some areas are more affected than others (“Global HIV & AIDS Epidemic,” 2014).

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).

HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS. A member of a group of viruses called retroviruses, HIV infects human cells and uses the energy and nutrients provided by those cells to grow and reproduce. AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is a disease in which the body's immune system breaks down and is unable to fight off certain infections, known as "opportunistic infections," and other illnesses that take advantage of a weakened immune system. When a person is infected with HIV, the virus enters the body and lives and multiplies primarily in the white blood cells. These are the immune cells that normally protect us from disease.

HIV, or the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus which damages and kills cells of the immune system. It attacks the T-cells, key cells of the immune system, and uses them to make copies of itself. After being infected with the virus it progressively interferes and eventually destroys the immune system's ability to fight the anti-genes. HIV may develop into the syndrome AIDS, the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. HIV is an STD - a sexually transmitted disease - and therefore most commonly it is spread through sexual contact, and the virus mainly enters the body through the penis, mouth, lining of the vagina or vulva during sexual activity. HIV can also be spread through sharing syringes or needles with someone who is infected with the