Abstract
Gay, bisexual, and other Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) have been stigmatized due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Since its discovery in 1980, biomedical research has been advanced significantly in the fight against the sexually transmitted disease; however, a cure is still yet to be found. Despite that, researchers suggest incorporating behavioral strategies to treat HIV-infected individuals to avoid any continuing transmission of the virus. This paper presents the study of thirty three MSM who participated in a review to test the efficiency of behavioral interventions on individual, group, and community levels expected to reduce high risk behaviors such as unprotected anal intercourse (UAI), substance abuse, and so forth and to
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Both diseases have mainly been affecting human beings since its discovery in 1981. They cause the immune systems to deteriorate by destroying white blood cells and hindering their ability to fight against illnesses ("What Is", 2014). When one participates in high risk events such as having unprotected sex, sharing contaminated syringes, blood transfusions or organ donations, tainted fluids may enter the body through the mucous membrane, damaged tissue or by direct injection into the bloodstream when one is not cautious (“How Do”, 2014). Once the immune system weakens, the body begins to produce minor illnesses which become more severe over time. As HIV progresses into AIDS, manifestations become prolonged and more strenuous causing the individual to suffer or eventually die if left untreated (“Signs”, 2014). The thought of contracting any disease is alarming itself; still, it is crucial to know that any person with the virus can continue living a healthy life without any patent signs (“Signs”, 2014).
For many years, a stigma revolves in our country claiming that gay men are more prone of contracting the disease because of their high risk behavior. Today the Center for Disease Control (CDC) declares that there are “1.1 million people aged 13 years and older living with HIV in the
HIV or the Human Deficiency virus is like other viruses including the flu, but the one thing that makes this virus so different than any other is that the body is unable to clear this one out completely. Once someone is infected, there is no cure. Over time, HIV can also hide or mask itself in the body's cells. The cells within a person's body that fight off infection are called CD4 cells or T cells. HIV attacks these cells and copies or replicates itself inside these cells, then destroys them. HIV over time will destroy so many of these cells that the body is unable to fight off infection anymore. When this starts happening, AIDS or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome happens which is the final stage
HIV has flu-like symptoms. The symptoms include fever, chills, rash, night sweats, sore throat, etc. If a person doesn’t take a medicine called ART (antiretroviral treatment) their immune system will weaken and then they will develop AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). The symptoms of AIDS are rapid weight loss, extreme and unexplained tiredness, pneumonia, memory loss, depression, etc. Symptoms of HIV can start between a few months and more than ten years. HIV can only be spread through certain bodily fluids. Most of the time it is spread sexually. It can spread by blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milk. In the United States HIV is usually spread through anal or vaginal sex without taking medicine to prevent HIV or using a condom. HIV is also spread by sharing needles or syringes. HIV can live in a used needle for up to forty-two days. HIV does not survive long outside the body. It also cannot reproduce once it is outside its host. HIV also cannot be spread by tears, sweat, or saliva as long as it is not mixed with blood. HIV is a biosafety level three agent which meant it
From 2005 to 2014, the number of new HIV diagnoses among young African American gay and bisexual men (aged 13 to 24) increased 87%. But that trend has leveled off recently, with the number declining 2% since 2010.6
Department of Health & Human Services the group of people who are disproportionately affected by HIV are African Americans Gay and Bisexual Men. From 2005 to 2014, diagnoses increased 22% among all African Americans Gay and bisexual men and 87% among young African Americans and gay and bisexual men. By the end of 2013, an approximation of 493,543 gay and bisexual men were living with the HIV infection. Of those, 152,303 (31%) were African American, 210,299 (43%) were white, and 104,529 (21%) were Hispanic/Latino (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2016). Socioeconomic factors limited access to quality health care, lower income and educational levels, and higher rates of unemployment and incarceration may place some African American gay and bisexual men at higher risk for HIV than men of some other races/ethnicities.
According to recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 1.2 million individuals in the United States have HIV (about 14 percent of which are unaware of their infection and another 1.1 million have progressed to AIDS. Over the past decade, the number of HIV cases in the US has increased, however, the annual number of cases remains stable at about 50, 000 new cases per year. Within these estimates, certain groups tend to carry the burden of these disease, particularly the gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men (MSM) and among race/ethnic groups, Blacks/African American males remain disproportionately affected. (CDC)
The increased number of newly diagnosed HIV cases among young males who have sex with men (MSM) are due to the epic behavioral activities of the young African American males who have sex with men. However, identifying health disparities, stigmas and barriers, and prevention interventions can help alleviate HIV among young African American males who have sex with men.
First, we need to raise awareness of the prevalence of HIV in Baton Rouge by posting flyers saying how the capital has one of the highest prevalence of HIV in the country and that HIV is no longer a death sentence with modern medicine available. Also, list a plethora of clinics and free HIV testing centers on the flyers if people are interested in getting tested. We also need to create efficient and committed HIV advocacy organizations and advertise them around Baton Rouge for those with HIV who are seeking help. Even so, a study in Canada constructed a trial run consisting of using HIV-positive peer counselors administering seven 2-hour counseling sessions to small groups of gay and bisexual men. The goal of these sessions was to help reduce the prevalence of HIV transmission and high-risk sexual behaviors through implementing motivational interviewing, behavioral skills, and information about HIV (Hart et al. 1). When the trial run was finished, there were some impressive results. No doubt, there was a significant reduction in a number of men participating in sex without a condom with all status partners by 30 percent. Also, there was a significant reduction in loneliness, sexual compulsivity, and fear of being sexually rejected for insisting on condom use, by which these factors heavily contribute to sexually high-risk behaviors (Hart et al. 11).
HIV infections in African American Males have been a national growing problem since the early 1990’s. According to CDC, in the United States, there are more than 1 million people living with HIV. 48 percent are afro American males between the ages 13-44(CDC, 2007). It is estimated that around 1 million people in the United States will be diagnose with HIV in the up coming year with the lifetime risk of becoming infected is 1 in 16 for black males (CDC,2007).
There are strongly and constantly felt by all of them, whether consciously or not. taking cultural factors into account in the development and implementation of prevention strategies (CDC, 2012). This literature review describes preliminary results from ongoing study of the linkages between gay and bisexual men’s. Community and their HIV related risk behavior and psychological functioning in the AIDS
HIV also known as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus; with HIV the virus replicates and attacks our immune system causing it to go haywire. With the suppression of our immune systems it puts people with HIV at a bigger risk for infection and other common illnesses. People with HIV the common cold can be very
Within the United States health disparities exist regarding HIV infection, with ethnic minorities and men who have sex with men (MSM) disproportionally affected by the virus, relative to the entire population of the States. While no cure (nor a vaccine) exist for the virus, HIV prevention measures are available that can reduce the risk of most people of contracting the virus, especially useful for those individuals described above that are disproportionally affected. "There have been exciting recent advances in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention for men who have sex with men (MSM) in the last several years" (article citation). Prevention methods include condoms, which have been available for many years, and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis
The human immunodeficiency virus gets its name by the sole species it affects and the characteristic damage it does to the body, which is also known as HIV. Viruses are notorious for the mode in which they reproduce; a virus enters the body, seizes the body’s cells, and uses it as a host. This is the only way for viruses to replicate. HIV takes over the body’s T cells, also known as CD4 cells, which are important to defend the body from various antigens. Normally, T cells would respond to infection and diseases by neutralizing, creating antibodies to fight off the antigen the next time it comes around, or lessen the effects it has on the body. Infections such as pneumonia that would make a regular person incredibly ill could be fatal to someone
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that cause initial HIV infection and, as the virus proliferates in the body, AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). HIV affects the immune system by exploiting, and, eventually, destroying a specific kind of immune cells. That allows for the gradual deterioration of a person’s immune system, which ultimately causes death from minor opportunistic infections, which are normally perfectly curable and generally do not cause major consequences for health. HIV has a limited range of transmission ways. It is only transmitted through the direct contact of body fluids, which include blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk [1]. This means that most of the modes of transmission include activities that are moralized by society, such as intravenous drug use and sexual contact [1]. However, it can also be transmitted through “innocent pathways”, such as during breastfeeding (mother to child) and blood transfusion. HIV is a very young, still poorly understood virus. It was first clinically observed in the summer of 1981 in San Francisco, where it was spotted as a type of sarcoma, mostly spotted in the gay population. In the beginning of the global epidemic, there was a huge misunderstanding of the disease [2]. Back then, a general sentiment about HIV was that of a “rather devastating outbreak” [2] , associated with homosexuality and drug use (to the point
HIV is global pandemic stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, weakens the immune system by destroying the important cells in our body that fights against disease and infection. Our immune system is able to clear out most of the viruses from our body, but once you have HIV , you have it for lifelong. HIV can hide in our body cells for long time and it can attack the T cells and CD4 cells, a key part of our immune system to fight infections and diseases. Overtime, the HIV may attack so many of CD4 cells and our body is no more able to fight against infections. When this happens, HIV can lead to AIDS, the final stage of HIV infection. HIV can be transmitted through sexual contact, injection or drug use, pregnancy, breast feeding, occupational exposure, and rarely through blood transfusion and organ
To achieve over 10% reduction in the HIV-related risk behaviors among the men who have sex with men (MSM); to maintain the sexually-transmitted infection rate below 0.5% among other high-risk population. To develop drug rehabilitation programs, expand the coverage of methadone treatment, reduce the intravenous drug abuse transmission rate, and sustain a lower than 0.3% annual new infection rate among the therapist.