Heath Relgon
Jonathan N. Dukes December 1, 1999 Health / 6th Period Ms. J Thesis: The AIDS and HIV viruses are getting worse in the United States and the rest of the world. Introduction Although more people die of heart disease and cancer each year, AIDS has become the health problem people fear the most. Much of the fear comes from ignorance and misunderstanding. Education is the most effective tool against AIDS. It is more important than ever for young people to learn the facts about AIDS. Many teenagers don't know anyone who has AIDS. It is hard for them to believe they are at risk. It is a fact that the incidence of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases is on a rapid rise among teens and people in their early twenties (Silverstein). People frequently ask the questions, "How is HIV spread, what should I do if I think I may be infected with HIV, and how can people avoid getting AIDS?" In this paper I will try my best to make it clearer for those who have any doubt about their know!ledge of HIV and AIDS and answering the questions above. Modes of Transmission Today, the two diseases, HIV & AIDS, are rapidly increasing all over the United States. HIV is spread through the exchange of bodily fluids, primarily blood, semen, and blood pr
is same period there were 6.4 million deaths world wide from AIDS or HIV. About 360,000 of these deaths occurred in the United States (W.H.O. 39). There was an estimated 22.6 million people worldwide living with HIV or AIDS in 1996. About 62 percent of them were living in sub-Saharan Africa, 23 percent in southern and eastern Asia and the Pacific, 6 percent in Latin America, 5 percent in North American and the Caribbean, and 2 percent in Europe and Central Asia. In Asia and Africa, most people contract the disease through heterosexual contact (Ports). Opportunistic Illnesses People generally do not die of HIV infection itself, but to opportunistic infections that occur when the immune system can no longer protect the body against agents normally found in the environment. Simple illnesses like the common cold, flu, chicken pox, etc., can be very dangerous for this reason (Virginia Silverstein 47). The most common opportunistic infection seen in AIDS is PCP. This is a type of pn! 0 cases, about 46 percent have been in Caucasians, 35 percent in blacks, 18 percent in Hispanics, and 1 percent in Asians. Males make up about 84 percent of these cases and females 15 percent. Children account the remaining 1 percent of AIDS cases. Women and children constitute one of the fastest-growing groups of people with AIDS (World Health Organization 32). Fifty-two documented cases and 111 possible cases of occupational transmission of AIDS/HIV had been reported in health-care workers throughout December of 1996. The leading cause of death among Americans aged 25 to 44 years, death for American men among the same age group, and the third leading cause of death among American women in the same age group was AIDS in 1994 and 1995 (W.H.O. 35). AIDS is rapidly expanding on a global scale. The World Health Organization estimates that between 1981, when the first AIDS cases were reported, and the end of 1996, more than 8.4 million adults and children had developed AIDS. In th! ication that the person had been exposed to the virus. Three years ago an additional blood test was invented to detect HIV antigens. This enabled doctors to identify HIV even before the donor's immune system had time to make antibodies. When new strains of HIV are identified from around the world, they will need to be evaluated for detection by these tests. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta Georgia established an authoritative definition for the diagnoses of AIDS. They concluded that the CD4 T-cell count in an HIV positive person must be below 200 cells per cubic mm of blood, or there has to be the clinical appearance of an initial AIDS-defining opportunistic infection, such as PCP (a type of pneumonia), oral candidiasis, pulmonary tuberculosis, or invasive cervical carcinoma (cancer in the cervix of women) (Virginia Silverstein 23). Occurrence There were more than 580,000 reported cases of AIDS in the United States between 1981 and 1996. Of these 580,00! hat promote HIV testing at the time of marriage of pregnancy, have been criticized for invading personal privacy (American Red Cross 58). There have been many efforts aimed at public awareness propelled by community-based organizations. Public figures and celebrities who are themselves HIV infected like Magic Johnson, Rock Hudson, Greg Louganis, and Arthur Ashe have personalized the disease of AIDS and helped society come to terms with the enormity of the epidemic (Alvin Silverstein 62). As a memorial to people who have died from AIDS, friends and families of AIDS victims stitched together a giant quilt in which each panel of the quilt was dedicated to the memory of an individual who died from AIDS. This quilt has traveled on display from community to community to promote AIDS awareness (Paul Volberding 131). There have also been some attempts of assisting HIV-infected individuals by the U.S. government through legislation and additional community-funding measures. A law that ! People can greatly
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Approximate Word count = 3491
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page double spaced)
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