¶ … HIV / AIDS on American Society
What is HIV and where did it come from? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (a primary source) explains that HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus, and once a person acquires this virus, "…you have it for life" (CDC). There is no effective cure, that is the bad news; but the better news according to the CDC is that HIV "…can be controlled" because there is a treatment called antiretroviral therapy (ART) (CDC). In fact while just a few years ago a person with HIV could expect to have full-blown AIDS within a few years, but with the ART treatment, many HIV sufferers can expect to have "…a nearly normal life…" (CDC).
The source of HIV is believed to be chimpanzees in West Africa, and how this came about related to the fact that Africans hunted the chimpanzees for food and at some time Africans apparently came into direct contact with the blood of a chimpanzee that was infected with a strain of HIV (CDC). The HIV may well have been in the blood of apes "…as far back as the late 1800s," the CDC explains. This paper covers a number of issues and impacts regarding the U.S. population and HIV / AIDS
How does a person contract HIV or STDs?
A person can acquire HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases (STD) in several ways, according to a book by professor Gregory Moffatt. The person at "highest risk for contracting most sexually transmitted diseases is sexually promiscuous individuals and those who share needles with others" (Moffatt, 2004, 247-48). Some STDs (including HIV) can be transmitted through blood transfusions, but in the main, STDs are transmitted "…when body fluids (semen and blood) come into contact with soft, mucus-lined tissues of the body," Moffatt explains. Those tissues include the vagina, urethra, anus and the mouth, and open cuts, sores, or blisters are entry points for STDs, Moffatt goes on (248).
On the subject of open cuts and sores, on 248 Moffatt points out that when a gay man has anal intercourse with another man, there is a great risk of getting HIV and spreading HIV or other STDs. Why? The anus is "not large enough to accommodate an erect penis," and hence, some anal tissue is likely to be torn and this opening (however slight) provides a "point of entry for the transmission of the HIV virus" (Moffatt, 248).
Some younger people mistakenly believe that just avoiding sexual intercourse is adequate to protect against HIV and STDs; however, even "casual sexual contact" or "oral sex" can be enough to cause the person to become infected (Moffatt, 248). Likewise, Moffatt continues, there are "…well-intentioned organizations" that have "…falsely communicated that use of a condom will prevent the spread of STDs"; and while condoms do offer some protection, there is no assurance that using a condom prevents the spreading of HIV or other STDs (Moffatt, 248).
STDs include the following in addition to HIV: pubic lice (crabs); gonorrhea and syphilis; hepatitis (A & B); genital herpes; genital warts; and Chlamydia (the "fastest-spreading sexually transmitted disease in the United States") (Moffatt, 249).
What are the stages of HIV?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention point out that within two to four weeks after a person has been infected with HIV he or she may begin to feel ill with "…flu-like symptoms"; this period is referred to as "acute retroviral syndrome (ARS) or primary HIV infection" (CDC, p. 2). The virus uses existing immune system cells to "…make copies of itself" while destroying those cells in the process (CDC, p. 2). Next, there is a period called "Clinical latency (inactivity or dormancy)"; the HIV is still alive and active but there are lower levels of reproduction of the cells. If the HIV-infected individual is treated with the antiretroviral therapy (ART) he or she may live for "several decades," CDC continues (p. 2).
But, on the other hand, if the person is not treated with ART, within a few years he or she may become infected with AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) (CDC, p. 2). How does a person really know if he or she is infected with HIV? The symptoms alluded to in the paragraph above this one included flu-like symptoms, which include "fever, enlarged lymph nodes, sore throat and rash" (CDC, p. 2).
How does HIV affect the body?
In the book HIV / AIDS: Health Solutions by professor Savitri Ramaiah the author explains that lymphocytes are the white blood cells in the body, and in normal times these lymphocytes (about 25% of the total white blood cell...
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