HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a retrovirus that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) by attacking the immune system, leading to severe health complications. The epidemic has had a significant global impact, with millions affected, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, and ongoing challenges in late diagnosis, stigma, and access to treatment. Despite advances in medications that manage the virus, there is still no cure, and awareness and understanding about transmission methods are crucial in combating misconceptions.

1. HIV and AIDS Essay
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.
The hallmark of HIV infection is the progressive loss of a specific...show more content...
Most of them do not know they carry HIV and may be spreading the virus to others. Here in the
U.S., nearly one million people have HIV infection or AIDS, or roughly one out of every 250
people. At least 40,000 Americans become newly infected with HIV each year, and it is estimated
that half of all people with HIV in the U.S. have not been tested and do not know they are carrying
the virus.
Since the beginning of the epidemic, AIDS has killed more than 30 million people worldwide,
including more than 500,000 Americans. AIDS has replaced malaria and tuberculosis as the
world's deadliest infectious disease among adults and is the fourth leading cause of death
worldwide. Over 13 million children have been orphaned by the epidemic. A person who is
HIV–infected carries the virus in certain body fluids, including blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and
breast milk. The virus can be transmitted only if such HIV–infected fluids enter the bloodstream of
another person. This kind of direct entry can occur (1) through the linings of the vagina, rectum,
mouth, and the opening at the tip of the penis; (2) through intravenous injection with a syringe; or
(3) through a break in the skin, such as a cut or sore. Usually, HIV is transmitted through:
Unprotected sexual intercourse (either vaginal or anal) with someone who is HIV infected.
Women are at greater risk of HIV infection through vaginal sex than men, although
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2. AIDS/HIV Essay
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), can be transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse,
sharing contaminated needles and syringes, mother to child (perinatal) and contaminated blood
product (National Association of Health Authorities, 1988).
1.2 PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH
Late HIV diagnosis remains a major problem among black Africans in England. In 2007, about 42
per cent of black Africans diagnosed with HIV were diagnosed late (HPA, 2008a). This
compromises their survival chances because evidence indicates that starting treatment with a CD4
cell count below 200 copies/mm3 (a measure of the degree to which an individual's immune system
is compromised) increases the risk of disease progression and death (Gazzard, 2008). The...show
more content...
In 2007, there were 2,691 new HIV diagnoses among black Africans, representing 40% of all new
diagnoses in the UK (HPA 2008c). The majority had acquired their infection heterosexually and in
Africa. The number of new diagnoses among black Caribbeans remained low (189 in 2007),
representing 3% of new diagnoses in 2007 (HPA 2008c). The percentage of late diagnoses, that is
after a point when treatment should have begun, among new diagnoses of HIV in 2007 was highest
among black Africans (42%). Twenty–seven percent of HIV diagnoses among black Caribbeans
were late. The worldwide HIV outbreak continues to impact negatively on African communities in
the UK. Sub–Saharan Africa is the region most severely affected by the HIV pandemic; as a result,
immigrants from sub–Saharan African countries constitute an increasingly large group of those
affected by HIV in the UK (Sinka, et al., 2003; UNAIDS, 2006; HPA, 2007). In the UK, African
immigrants make up 36% of those living with HIV (12,558 out of 34,689) despite the fact that they
constitute less than 1% of the population (Morris, 2008; HPA, 2009). As part of its continued
investigation into the HIV/AIDS epidemic, in 2005 The Guardian newspaper looked at the impact of
HIV/AIDS on African communities in the UK and stated the following shocking conclusions:
If you are black, African and living in the UK, you are 50 times more likely to be HIV positive than
any other
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3. Aids : Hiv / Aids Essay
Lauren Kennedy
United States
HIV/AIDS
Part 1: Background of Topic: What became later known as aids was detected in West Africa when
scientists identified a species of chimpanzees that had a version of this virus in their immune system.
They later found out that the disease was transmitted to humans and created into HIV when people
hunted these animals for food and came in contact with their infected blood. Decade after decade
this illness swooped over Africa like a blanket and began to spread to other countries. The first case
of aids was in 1959 when a man's blood sample was contaminated with HIV. What we didn't know
was how he became infected. "Genetic analysis of this blood sample suggested that HIV–1 may have
stemmed from a single virus in the late 1940s or early 1950s." Cited from The Aids Institute
online. Estimated to start since 1930 now every nation has been corrupted with this illness already
killing 21.8 million people since the epidemic began. The infection spread so quickly from our
inability to know how you are able to get the STD and our unawareness that it existed. It is spread
through sex (body fluids), breast feeding, and sharing injected drug equipment, manly needles.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation. "There were 35.0 million people living with HIV in
2013, up from 29.8 million in 2001, the result of continuing new infections, people living longer with
HIV, and general population growth."
Part 2: United Nations Involvement: Over the decades
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4. Hiv/Aids Essay
HIV/AIDS
BSHS302
May 21, 2012
Faye Flanagan
HIV/AIDS
Social issues facing HIV/AIDS today are as diverse as the people that are affected by the disease.
Advocating for a large group of people takes action at the macro human service practice. The goals
and intervention strategies will be similar to micro human service and will involve the same
strategies to bring justice to human rights for all members of society.
One strategy is including a broader range of other diversity in research in gender studies, including
gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people (GLBT). Men and GLBT people have not been
addressed in mainstream research. These groups make up a large contingent of the population that is
affected with HIV/AIDS today....show more content...
By working together the group can achieve more.
HIV/AIDS first appeared in the homosexual/bisexual community in various urban centers in North
America and spread rapidly in these groups. HIV/AIDS first emerged in North America among
homosexual and bisexual men and is still more common in that group most of the AIDS services
have been geared to gay men, leaving women without adequate support and/or treatment. In the past
few years, pharmaceutical companies have developed medications that slow down the effects of
HIV/AIDS. When the disease first came out in the United States, everyone was afraid to breathe
around the patients with HIV/AIDS or who had been exposed to the patients at all because they
thought it might be contagious, which they were proven wrong because it's not contagious at all.
No one has to be afraid to get close to the patients who have the disease. The only way you can get
the disease is through sexual contact with the patient or a contaminated needle used on the patient or
sharing needles (as in drug addicts).
Since no one knows who has the disease, without extensive testing, everyone seems suspected of
having the disease until proven differently because of how people had felt about the disease. To me,
this is ridiculous, but one can understand the reasoning behind it, but now that I know how what
when I may or others can contact the disease. It is best to be safe than sorry. African
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5. AIDS and HIV Essay
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...show more
content...
This often leads to them being treated differently and badly. Often, they get the denial of education
for HIV positive children, the denial of equal opportunities for employment and the lack of access to
equal health care.
HIV is a virus that is spread almost all over the world. Although in some places health care isn't as
developed and therefore it spreads more in those regions. Sub–Saharan Africa holds more than 70%,
25 million, of all HIV positive people in the world. Second highest is Eastern Europe together with
Central Asia with 1.3 million. It is spread over most of the world, including Asia and the Pacific, the
Caribbean, Central and South America, North Africa and the Middle East and Western and Central
Europe ("The Regional Picture").
Currently, there are no vaccines and no cures for HIV or AIDS, although scientists are researching
and finding new drugs and treatments. So far, scientists have discovered a variety of drugs and
medication that can be used to control and slow the virus and the progression of the disease. There
are some drugs which interfere with the virus ability to make copies of itself by disabling a protein
it needs, like Non–nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. If someone is diagnosed with HIV, it
is important to start with treatments as soon as possible.
In Sweden, where I live, the disease is not even seen as deadly anymore. Only approximately 6,500
Swedes are today infected
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6. Hiv/Aids Essay
HIV/AIDS AWARENESS
Human immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
brings a lot of cruel thoughts to an individual's mind because of the amount of misconceptions about
this disease. An example of this would be that there are a lot of people that will say you shouldn't
share a drink with someone who has HIV or AIDS because of the risk of contracting the virus,
which is untrue. A person will not contract the virus from sharing a drink, or utensil or even from
kissing. Another common misconception is that sharing a razor can also transmit HIV or AIDS.
For hygienic purposes sharing a razor is not a good idea in the first place but you cannot contract
HIV from doing so. With this being said there are...show more content...
Two of the five men had died by the time the report was published, which marks the first official
reporting of what became known as the AIDS epidemic. By the end of 1981 there were a
cumulative total of 270 reported cases of AIDS among gay men, and 121 of those individuals
also died that year. It was not until January 1983 that there were reported cases of AIDS in female
sexual partners of males that also had the virus. March 4th in another edition of the Morbidity
and Mortality reported that AIDS may be caused by an infectious agent that could be transmitted
sexually or through exposure to blood and also provided recommendations for preventing
transmission. Finally in September 1983 the CDC identified all the major routes of HIV
transmission and ruled out transmission by casual contact, food, water, air, or environmental
surface. By 1986 more than 38000 cases of AIDS or HIV have been reported from 85 different
countries. A year later the first drug was approved for treating AIDS, which was called ATZ.
Shockingly it was estimated that by 1990 8 million people worldwide were living with HIV or
AIDS, and by 1997 22 million. The number of estimated infected people continues to drastically
jump to 33 million by 2007. This is a very brief history in truthfulness every year there has been
some type of progress with these diseases, but to date there is still no cure. (Public Health Agency of
Canada)
Based on the studies from the 2011 HIV prevalence and
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