Aids A Relatively New Disease - 1743 Words

AIDS in South Africa AIDS is a relatively new disease that emerged in the 20th century. It has spread to all parts of the world and claims millions of lives each year. One of the countries that has been impacted the most is South Africa. There are 6.1 million people living with HIV and around 370 000 new cases a year, according to the UNAIDS Global report from 2013. Though major cities like Jonesburg are vastly developed, much of the country still remains rural, which aids in the spread of the disease. The country has the largest retroviral program in the world but 240 000 people are dying of AIDS related disease each year1. Understanding the social construction and causation of the disease is vital for devising a plan to help combat the spread of HIV in South Africa. The virus has no regards of social status or race. Usually the ones who suffer the most are the poor and the minorities. The poor living conditions, lack of sanitation , sexual habits of the population and the ineffec tive government efforts up to 1994 exacerbated the problem. Curbing the spread of HIV has been a major goal since its emergence of the disease in 1981 in the sub Saharan Africa (http://www.unaids.org) . There are two viral strains that cause Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in humans, human immunodeficiency viruses types 1 and 2 (HIV-1 and HIV-2). They have both resulted from the multiple cross species transmission of simian immunodeficiency virus that infects primatesShow MoreRelatedHistory Of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome1272 Words   |  6 PagesThe history of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome in the United States starts in 1981, the year it became recognized by country as an official new strange disease. By 1982 it was recognized as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). It started in San Francisco, with five young homosexual men, they were presented with Pneumonia (PCP). As the year went on there were more reports of homosexual men presenting PCP and some of them were diagnosed with PCP and Kaposi ´s Sarcoma (KS). Others reportsRead MoreA Research Study On Aids1396 Words   |  6 PagesEvery single news center has been focusing on the tremendous increase of Ebola cases lately. The thought of the disease itself instills fear in healthy citizens and produces panic in populated areas. Even though Ebola appears to be a relatively new disease to the world- making its first showcase around the 1970 s- its propaganda has overlooked other diseases. AIDS, a disease that was first documented in the 1980 s, has been a very prominent disease throughout the world. The relationship betweenRead MoreThe Movie Dallas Buyers Club Essay1412 Words   |  6 PagesThe film Dallas Buyers Club is a biographical drama whose plot is based around the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. Early in the history of the illness, cases of a rare lung infection were found in five previously healthy young men. In addition to that, the young men all suffered from va rious other infections which indicated that their immune systems were not functioning properly. The new illness was so aggressive that before a report by the CDC could be published, two of the five men had succumbedRead MoreHiv / Aids ( Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Human Immune Deficiency )1249 Words   |  5 Pagesintroduction to the topic of HIV/AIDS, (Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Human Immune Deficiency) from its early appearance as a deadly communicable disease that causes a viral infection in humans. During the 1960’s the infection was largely due to unprotected sex; the victims contracted the disease mostly due to unprotected sexual contacts from others who already had the virus. It became an epidemic and even pandemic. Those infected eventually died from HIV/AIDS as it came to be known, and thereRead MoreHIV/AIDS: The Structure and Morphology of Infectious Agent1508 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿HIV/AIDS Introduction HIV remains a world epidemic for all governments, whether super powers or developing nations. It infects and affects all people, generations, age, religion and any other division that exists (CAPAC Recognizes APIA HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 13). The Human Immunodeficiency Virus results into AIDS once fully developed. It currently affects millions of people in the United States, with new infections occurring everyday despite the several measures of sensitization and preventionRead MorePharmaceutical Companies, Intellectual Property, and the Global Aids Epidemic932 Words   |  4 Pagesof their patented products are supposed to refinance new research. So taking away their exclusive distribution rights and allowing other manufacturers to just copy the product and sell it at minimal costs also harms the innovative processes in which new and better drugs are developed [1]. Those less concerned with the patents for these drugs are concerned about the alarming AIDS statistics, which clearly de monstrate the fact that there is an AIDS epidemic in some of the poorest countries in the worldRead MoreRyan White1449 Words   |  6 PagesRyan was only 6 days old when doctors diagnosed him with a severe form of type A hemophilia. Hemophilia is a blood disease that causes the sufferer’s blood cannot clot and minor injuries can cause them to even bleed to death. Because Ryan had hemophilia, he had to receive blood transfusions of Factor VIII, a product of blood that aids in clotting. Although Ryan had this severe disease, he could still go about his life as normal as possible. But everything changed for Ryan in December 1984. Ryan hadRead MoreA Comparison Of Aids And Ebola Essay1376 Words   |  6 PagesA comparison of AIDS and Ebola Doctors, as well as medical researchers, have often stated that there exist similarities as well as difference between HIV Aids and Ebola. The most notable similarity is that the two are viral conditions. Consequently, they can be compared based on characteristics common to viral diseases. The two spread through contract with body fluids of infected persons. Ebola and HIV are incurable illnesses that result in widespread stigma. However, both differ greatly despiteRead MoreThe United Nation s Millennium Development Goals1021 Words   |  5 Pageseradication of hunger, and others. One particular goal of the UK’s Millennium Development, goal number six, is the combat of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria in all countries. There are many countries that have made significant progress in the combat of disease; Nigeria is no exception. This is due to Nigeria exponentially increasing there treatment and counseling facilities for HIV/AIDS, along with the distribution of mil lions of insecticide-treated products to combat malaria. However, this doesn’tRead MoreThe Epidemic Of Infectious Diseases Essay1549 Words   |  7 Pagesthousands of years, infectious diseases have had a strong influence over human populations by challenging the immune system to continuously adapt to new virulent strains. With the advantage of reproducing more rapidly than the human immune response, microorganisms that cause even minor infections can prove to be fatal (Parham, 2015). Over time, outbreaks such as ‘The Great Plague’ have threatened to bring an end to society. Without the ability to contain these diseases geographically and provide means