HIV/ AIDS
HIV/AIDS is an epidemic that effects both men and women of all ages. It has an impact on many people's lives either by themselves being infected, knowing someone who is infected, or being a health care worker.
HIV is a virus that attacks the body's immune system. It also effects the blood cells (lymphocytes) and cells of the organs (bone marrow, spleen, liver, and lymph glands). It effects the lungs, central nervous system and gastrointestinal system.
People begin with having the HIV virus. An HIV infected person is likely to stay fit and well for a long time. In time, however the infected person develops rare illnesses or cancers because their immune system is weakened. When this happens, the person now has AIDS. Some people live for several years once they have AIDS, but it is always fatal.
HIV is diagnosed with a blood test known as an HIV antibody test or HIV test. If the test shows that HIV is present, the person is referred to as HIV positive. It may take up to 6 months after contact to show up.
The number of women with HIV and AIDS in the United States is steadily rising. From 1985 to 1996, the proportion of reported US AIDS cases occurring among women increased from 7-20% (Women and AIDS). An analysis from the National Cancer Institute estimates that between 107,000 and 150,000 women on the U.S. are living with HIV infection (many of whom have not developed AIDS (Women and AIDS)
AIDS presents a great worry for women. It is the third leading cause of death among women ages 25 to 44 and the leading cause of death among African-American women of the same age group. (Women and AIDS)
Although AIDS cases are reported in all 50 states, the highest rates in 1996 were in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Maryland and Delaware (Women and AIDS)
HIV may not produce any initial symptoms. However, as this disease progresses, symptoms begin to appear. Among them are: fatigue, unexplained weight loss, night sweats, fever, diarrhea, recurrent respiratory and skin infections, swollen lymph glands throughout the body, genital changes, enlarged spleen and mouth sores. Vaginal yeast infections, common and easily treated in most women, are harder to treat in HIV infected women. Bacterial vaginosis and common STDs such as gonorrhea, chlamydia trichomoniasis, and pelvic inflammatory disease are more common and aggressive in HIV-infected women.
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus which is a virus that attacks the human immune system. Once the body is unable to continue fighting the infection, the disease is more severe and known as AIDS. It usually takes more than 10 years to progress from the HIV virus to AIDS which is a deadly disease that has killed over than 25 million people around the world. HIV can be transmitted between people many different ways. Any kind of unprotected sexual intercourse is a very common way for HIV to be passed on. As well sharing needles, unsterilized tools for tattoos or piercings and exposure in health care settings. HIV can even be passed on to an infant during birth by their infected mother.
Although antiretroviral treatment has reduced the toll of AIDS related deaths, access to therapy is not universal, and the prospects of curative treatments and an effective vaccine are uncertain. Thus, AIDS will continue to pose a significant public health threat for decades to come.
As of 2015 there are 36.7 million people living with AIDS globally. In the United States alone 1.2 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. Unknowingly, one in eight people are unaware of their infection. Since the epidemic began in the early 1980s 1,216,917 people have been diagnosed with AIDS in the United States. From 2005 to 2014 the rate of infection has dropped by 19%, diagnoses in women declined 40%, and in African American women, diagnoses declined 42%. Amongst all heterosexuals, diagnoses declined 35%, and among people who use intravenous drugs, diagnoses declined 63%
A person can come into contact with HIV/AIDS in several ways. The main premise is that HIV is found in human b...
According to the World Health Organization, HIV/AIDS is the leading infectious killer in the world with the death toll estimated around 36 million people (WHO, 2014). HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is very different from other communicable disease because the virus takes over cells in the body and weakens the immune system. It does that by destroying healthy, important cells that fight off disease and infection. The reason your immune system cannot fight this virus is still a question many scientists are seeking to answer, (AIDS, 2014). Scientists know that HIV is capable of being undetected in the cells of our bodies for long periods of time. The HIV virus invades our T cells, which are in charge of cellular immunity, and is able to duplicate itself in these cells and then destroy them. When too many T cells become destroyed the body is unable to fight off this virus, which leads to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS, (AIDS, 2014).
HIV/AIDS is an illness that has been present for over three decades, all regions of the world are affected with this virus, but some regions such as the Sub-Saharan Africa are the worst hit with high incidence and prevalence. HIV is a preventable virus, it is commonly transmitted through unprotected sex, sharing drug injection equipment such as needles with someone that is HIV positive and through other body fluids such as blood, semen, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids and breast milk. South Africa has the largest number of people with HIV majority of these numbers being women. In the study by Rehle et al it is stated that in South Africa (SA) both men and women matured 15-49 years were evaluated to be 2.0 new diseases every year per 100 susceptible
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada HIV – the Human Immunodeficiency Virus - is a virus that attacks the immune system, resulting in a chronic, progressive illness that leaves people vulnerable to opportunistic infections and cancers. (Canada 2008) Essentially over time, when your body can no longer battle the virus it progresses into a disease know as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS. The transmition of HIV occurs when a person’s contaminated body fluids enter another individual. Unprotected sexual intercourse (vaginal, anal or oral), sharing needles, using unsterilized equipment for body modification, mother to infant transmition, as well as occupational exposure in health care are all ways HIV can be spread. HIV/AIDS as an illness is relatively new. The first reported case of AIDS in the world was in 1981, and a year later in Canada. Scientists all around the world are busy searching for a cure or vaccine to treat the millions of people internationally dying of HIV/AIDS.
Another con regarding HIV and AIDS treatments would be that they can have a significant amount of long-term side effects. Some of those long-term side effects are fat redistribution (mat lose fat in your face but gain it in your belly), higher cholesterol (may raise risk of heart disease), higher blood sugar level, loss of bone density and a buildup of a cellular waste
AIDS was first discovered in the United States in 1981. Since then, this epidemic has affected approximately 40 million people worldwide. AIDS is a life threatening illness that is caused by the HIV infection. When the HIV virus enters the body it begins to destroy the immune system impairing its ability to fight off certain infections and diseases. About a month after being infected, a person develops a viral infection. The viral infection is similar to the flu and causes fever, fatigue, weight loss, and swollen glands. These symptoms usually subside, and a person may not develop AIDS for up to 10 years after being infected with HIV. During this time, the HIV virus continues to multiple and destroys cells of the immune system. A person is diagnosed with AIDS when the immune system is so deteriorated by HIV that it can no longer fight off certain infections and diseases known as "opportunistic infections." These infections cause a person to suffer from a variety of illnesses including weight loss, persistent diarrhea, coughing, nausea, swollen glands, and shortness of breath. The infections can last from several days to several months and are often difficult to treat. AIDS patients are also prone to develop certain cancers. These cancers include Kaposi's sarcoma, cervical cancer, and lymphomas. Although each of these cancers are treatable, AIDS patients suffer severe cases of these cancers because of their weakened immune system. It is often difficult to determine if a person will make it through a particular illness or not. In most cases, people do not die from AIDS but from complications from illnesses that define AIDS. When a person is diagnosed with having AIDS, their estimated survival time is 2-3 years.
Since its discovery over 30 years ago, HIV continues to be public health problem with an estimated 1.1 million people living with HIV in the United States alone (5). Even though the yearly number of new diagnoses in the past decade has remained stable (around 50,000), the number of new infections among young persons, especially younger people and black men has increased (1, 2, 5). Most troubling are the estimated 180,000 people (among the 1.1 million living with HIV) unaware of their infection (4). Many of those unaware of their infection remain undiagnosed until they present with AIDS-related conditions (11). Additionally, only 37% of the population aged 18-64 report ever receiving an HIV test, an estimate that varies by state from 23.4% to 66.3% (3).
In United States, the HIV epidemic reached its peak in the 1980s when the number of infected reached 130,000 people per year. Infected women ...
In the early 80's, the incurable human immunodeficiency virus outbreak spread and affected the bodies of different groups in the United States over the decades. When a person is diagnosed with the human immunodeficiency virus the virus infects the body's immune CD4 cell and the T-cell makes the body to have a difficult to fight off the infections and disease. Half a million people are living with the virus and the other half are unaware of their condition. When the human immunodeficiency virus spread in the United States more than seven million died. "African Americans are most affected by 19,540 people, then White Men with 12,025 people or Hispanics with 10,201 (Hiv and...). Men are most likely to be affected by the virus with sexual intercourse
HIV and Aids are something that have been a major problem in a large part of the world for many years. These viruses have destroyed many families and have taken many people’s lives. There are many different ways for a person to receive the virus. As of today, there is still no cure for these horrible diseases. Until scientists and doctors are able to find a medicine that can cure them, many people will continue to be affected by these diseases. This research paper will break down each virus separately to better explain what they exactly are and how they affect people by their signs, symptoms, etc.
Most people recently infected by the AIDS virus look and feel healthy. They may not show symptoms for several years, but the condition is eventually fatal. Even though one might not know that they have this deathly disease, and remain apparently healthy, they can still pass it along to others, and they then pass it on to others, etc, until an abundant amount of people are infected. Symptoms may include fever, fatigue, weight loss, skin rashes, a fungal infection of the mouth known as thrush, lack of resistance to infection, and swollen lymph nodes. HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is transmitted through blood, semen, and vaginal fluid. The virus is usually transferred through sexual intercourse, the transfusion of virus-contaminated blood, or the sharing of HIV-contaminated intravenous needles. HIV cannot penetrate intact bodily surfaces, such as skin, and quickly perishes outside the human body. Consequently, AIDS is not spread by casual physical contact.
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a fatal physical condition that is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The virus damages the human body’s immune system, so that the body cannot protect itself from bacteria, viruses, and prions that cause diseases. With severely lowered defenses, AIDS patients die from common illnesses such as pneumonia, diarrhea, cold, and tuberculosis. The HIV virus does not directly attack its victim; the disease that patients suffer from after receiving the virus is what hurts and kills them.