AIDS/HIV & Its Effects on Popular Culture

1205 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays on the origins of hiv

A life-changing pandemic has effected millions across the world. It has plagued many people addicted to drugs, many who practice unsafe sex, or even the innocent health care worker. Some people may sadly consider their lives extinguished upon contraction of the in-curable virus, others will not let the infection rule their lives. However, the infection is no long-er considered a death sentence in contrast to what many may believe. Many people are igno-rant of the virus and continue to believe what was shared many years ago. What is HIV/AIDS, and what is its history? What is its effects on the body? How can it be, not cured, but treated? Who is at higher risk for a possible infection? Are there any possible cures in the making? How may it be prevented? How does HIV/AIDS effect popular culture and society? These and many other questions will be answered in the following essay, along with other useful beneficial knowledge and history.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a lentivirus, meaning that it takes long periods of time after the initial exposure to show symptoms. Human Immunodeficiency Virus is contract-ed through blood-borne pathogens, and HIV is the abbreviation for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Human Immunodeficiency Virus cannot be contracted solely via urine, saliva, or sweat. Human Immunodeficiency Virus may only be contracted from exposure to these fluids if blood is present. The main way that Human Immunodeficiency Virus is contracted is through seminal or vaginal secretions, blood, cerebral spinal fluid, and the breast milk of an infected individual. Once the Virus enters the body it starts to replicate itself, making more and more Human Im-munodeficiency Virus cells, the cells hide itself and may lay d...

... middle of paper ...

...medicines, there are still many negatives regarding taking antiretroviral. The medicines tend to be very expensive and most insurance companies will avoid paying for them. In addition, the antiretroviral drugs all have many unwanted side effects, and once a patient is started with the medication regimen he or she will not be able to miss a dose or an exacerbation of AIDs symptoms may occur. Many alternative treatments have been tried including, stem cell use and bone marrow transplants, but none has had ade-quate research for approval and classification of being a possible cure. It is also proven very important for the patient to be followed medically, by an infectious disease specialist; and to attend appointments and blood testing regularly. By following the provider’s advice and orders, the patient may live a strong and healthy AIDS free life.
WHO IS AT RISK

Show More
Related

  • Edward Koch and AIDS in New York City

    1990 Words  | 4 Pages

    Human immunodeficiency virus infection / acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a disease of the human immune system transmitted between people by the mixing of bodily fluids. It is an extremely deadly disease that has killed over thirty-six mi...

    Read More

  • Sexuality And Social Issues In The Dallas Buyers Club

    908 Words  | 2 Pages

    The 1980’s in America were a very iconic time period for the country. Music, films, and history were created that will never be forgotten. But during the 1980’s the AIDS epidemic became a very serious matter. According to Macionis, AIDS, first identified in 1981, is an incurable, deadly disease transmitted through bodily fluids including blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk. The Dallas Buyers Club portrays what happened during the AIDS epidemic, and the social issues that people were faced with. Sexuality and AIDS were seen as directly linked, drug abuse and AIDS were also linked, and AIDS patients experienced difficulties with healthcare facilities.

    Read More

  • AIDS: Research and Funding

    1402 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everyday researchers have proposed new methods of how to control the HIV virus from turning into AIDS. A combination of effective HIV medicines help stop the formation of new copies of HIV as it reproduces in your body. This technique helps to keep your CD-4 cell count up and your viral load down. CD-4 cells are one type of immune cells that assist to fight off the virus, the higher your count the stronger your immune system (Nakashima 77). Whereas, your viral load is a measure of HIV in your blood and your treatment goal is to have the lowest viral load possible. People with higher viral loads tend to progress to AIDS and become sick sooner than those with lower viral loads (Nakashima 80). Successful HIV medications can prevent other infections common with AIDS and can help you live longer.

    Read More

  • Treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

    1105 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a blood-borne virus typically transmitted via sexual intercourse, shared intravenous drug paraphernalia, and mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), which can occur during the birth processor during breastfeeding.” There is no cure for HIV or AIDS but over time different types of medications have been developed that slows down the advancement of the disease. AIDS is a lethal disease that is caused by HIV. HIV destroys the immune system and causes the body to not be able to fight off any diseases.

    Read More

  • AIDS in African American Community

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was first recognized as a new disease in 1981 when increasing numbers of young homosexual men succumbed to unusual opportunistic infections and rare malignancies (Gallant49).During this time, many people were contacting this disease because it was not discovered yet and people did not have knowledge about it.Scientists believe HIV came from a particular kind of chimpanzee in Western Africa. Humans contracted this disease when they hunted and ate infected animals. A first clue came in 1986 when a morphologically similar but antigenically distinct virus was found to cause AIDS in patients in western Africa (Goosby24). During this time, scientists had more evidence to support their claim about this disease. Once discovered this disease was identified as a cause of what has since become one of the most devastating infectious diseases to have emerged in recent history (Goosby101). This disease was deadly because it was similar to the Black Death, it was killing majority of the population. Since its first identification almost three decades ago, the pandemic form of HIV-1 has infected at least 60 million people and caused more than 25 million deaths ...

    Read More

  • Freely Accessible Birth Control for Teenagers

    960 Words  | 2 Pages

    Spink, Gemma. "AIDS." AVERTing HIV and AIDS. 23 Dec 2009. Web. 11 Jan 2010. .

    Read More

  • The Origin of HIV/AIDS

    806 Words  | 2 Pages

    Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) leads to the life threatening Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). HIV only lives in the blood and other bodily fluids. Concentrations of HIV are small in vomit, sweat, tears, and saliva and cannot be transmitted by those fluids. The main transmission is through fluids like semen, vaginal fluids, and rectal mucous during sexual contact, breast milk and amniotic fluid passing to children, and blood during transfusions and exposure. Beginning stages of HIV start with the acute infection. During the first 2 weeks to a month after exposure to the HIV infection, most infected individuals with display symptoms of a severe flu. The symptoms include fever, swollen glands, sore throat, rash, muscle and joint aches and pains, fatigue, and headache. The early period of infection is known as the “acute retroviral syndrome” (Stages, 2013). Once the virus is out of the acute stage it enters into the latency stage where it continues to replicate but no symptoms are shown. As the infection progresses and the immune system beco...

    Read More

  • Nursing Case Study: HIV

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus; this virus can lead to acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS. According to Avert, 2.6 million people became infected with HIV in 2009, there are now an estimated 33.3 million people around the world who are living with HIV. HIV is transmitted by the exchange of bodily fluids via sharing contaminated syringes, from the infected mother to the child, and sexual contact. Contact with blood, semen, vaginal secretions, breast milk, or saliva that is contaminated with HIV, puts an individual at higher risk for contracting HIV. However, HIV cannot be transmitted by touch, coughing, or by bits from insect vectors.

    Read More

  • Legal Aspects of Health Care Administration by George D. Pozgar

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    While the chapter only covered one disease it is how this one disease has affected so many people from patients to health care employees. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome better known as AIDS first appeared in 1981. There are more than 21 million people that have died from the infection of AIDS. A highly contagious blood borne virus caused by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a fatal disease that destroys the body’s immune system. With the body having a defenseless immune system bacteria and viruses are free to affect the body. I chose to cover the topic of HIV and the effects is has on the health care environment.

    Read More

  • HIV and AIDS: The Epidemic

    1638 Words  | 4 Pages

    HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a progressive disease that attacks and weakens the immune system causing the HIV-positive person to become more susceptible to any ailments and infections. Human Immunodeficiency Virus is caused by the transfer of bodily functions including blood, breast milk, semen, and vaginal secretions. Sex, including oral, vaginal, and anal, is the most common way of obtaining HIV. It can also be acquired by injecting a needle into your body that was used by someone who has HIV. The virus cannot be spread through the air or though food and water. You also cannot contract the virus from shaking a HIV-posit...

    Read More

  • The History of HIV

    1456 Words  | 3 Pages

    Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) first came to light in 1981. There has been a long and arduous global effort on the prevention of HIV/AIDS. HIV is a virus that is spread through body fluids that affect the specific T-cells of the immune system. Without treatment HIV infection leads to AIDS and there is no cure for AIDS. HIV infection can be controlled and the importance of primary pre...

    Read More

  • HIV in South Africa

    1760 Words  | 4 Pages

    no cure for HIV/AIDS there is and was medication that could have been distributed in South Africa.

    Read More

  • AIDS: cause And Effect

    752 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1981, a new fatal, infectious disease was diagnosed--AIDS (Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome). It began in major cities, such as New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco. People, mostly homosexual men and intravenous drug users, were dying from very rare lung infections or from a cancer known as Kaposi’s sarcoma. They have not seen people getting these diseases in numerous years. Soon, it also affected hemophiliacs, blood recipients, prostitutes and their customers, and babies born from AIDS-infected women. AIDS was soon recognized as a worldwide health emergency, and as a fatal disease with no known cure, that quickly became an epidemic. When high-profile victims began to contract the virus, such as basketball star Magic Johnson, the feeling spread quickly that anyone, not just particular groups of people, could be at risk. AIDS impairs the human body’s immune system and leaves the victim susceptible to various infections. With new research, scientists think that the disease was first contracted through a certain type of green monkey in Africa, then somehow mutated into a virus that a human could get. AIDS is a complicated illness that may involve several phases. It is caused by a virus that can be passed from person to person. This virus is called HIV, or Human Immuno-deficiency Virus. In order for HIV to become full-blown AIDS, your T-cell count (number of a special type of white-blood cells that fight off diseases) has to drop below 200, or you have to get one of the symptoms of an AIDS-induced infection.

    Read More

  • The Impact of HIV/AIDS

    1068 Words  | 3 Pages

    Without proper knowledge and equipment, it is very difficult to prevent the spread of AIDS. Ever since the illness was discovered thirty years ago, it has taken the lives of thirty million people and affected the lives of many, many more. The AIDS pandemic has been and still is most severe in third-world countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It has impacted the economies of entire nations by crippling and killing individuals in the most productive years of their lives (“HIV/AIDS”). AIDS greatly influences the government sector, agricultural sector, private corporations, and individual households.

    Read More

  • AIDS Expository Essay

    3030 Words  | 7 Pages

    No cure or vaccine now exists for AIDS.  Many of those infected with HIV may not

    Read More

More about AIDS/HIV & Its Effects on Popular Culture

Open Document