HIV+MC

PART 1 pp. 344-345 What does AIDS stand for? - It stands for Acquired immunodeficiency Syndrome What does HIV stand for? - It stands for human immunodeficiency Virus What is an opportunistic infection? - one that has the opportunity to occur only because the immune system is severely weakened. What is the relationship between HIV and opportunistic infections? -HIV infects and destroys cells of the immune system, particularly helper T-cells and macrophages. As the number of helper T cells declines, the body’s ability to fight an infection also declines, and the person becomes ill with various diseases. AIDS is the advanced stage of HIV infection, when a person develops one or more of a number of opportunistic infections. When and where did HIV transmission in humans begin? -It’s originated from Africa and the spread to the United States and Europe, by the way of the Caribbean. HIV has been found in a preserved 1959 blood sample taken from a man who lived in an African country. When was the name AIDS coined? -The name AIDS was coined in 1982, and HIV was found to be the cause of AIDS in 1983-1984. Why did it take several decades for the number of AIDS cases to increase to a point that AIDS became recognizable as a specific disease? -Some of these people actually died of AIDS and because HIV is not extremely infectious. Why is AIDS now considered a pandemic? - because the disease is prevalent in the entire human population around the globe. What percentage of new AIDS cases are in young adults ages 15 to 24? -50% Why is this particularly hard on a country? -because those persons are the backbone of a nation’s social, political, and economical structure and stability. Which continent has the highest percentage of people living with HIV? -Africa What is the adult percentage of people living with HIV in that continent? - 6.1 % Which part of this continent have the highest prevalence rates? -Sub-Saharan PART 2 p. 352 Where do 95% of all HIV infected people live? - They live in developing countries, meaning poor, low-to middle- income countries. Why is the death rate so how in these countries? - Because there is a lack of antiviral drugs and other health and educational services. What fraction of people in these countries were unaware of they had HIV? - 9/10 Why is that frightening? Why do you think that is the case? - This is frightening because AIDS has claimed more than 25 million lives and 9/10 of the people that were infected with it were unaware that they had the disease. That’s almost 10/10 to where all of us are unaware. This is the case because a lot of people aren’t educated about HIV and AIDS. In these countries, who is dying? The young or the old? Is there much difference between the number of men vs. women that die? -the young are dying, 50% of ages 15-24. There is a big difference in the number of men vs. women that die, 73% men and 27% for women. In most parts of the world, what is the primary way that HIV is spread? -heterosexual contact In the US, which population has 50% of all new HIV cases? -African Americans PART 3 Find an article published in the last six months that talks about the prevalence or rates of HIV infection in the US or abroad. Put a link to the article here and summarize in 75-100 words.

http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_HIV_Testing_Recommendations_Highly_Ignored_29752.html

Getting checked for HIV/AIDS is highly recommended by physicians, nurses, and doctors, but it’s ignored by the people. HIV/AIDS testing is a life and death situation. If you get tested and find the disease early, you can get vaccinated to keep it from getting worse. If you don’t get tested, you run the risk of reaching death early with no chance of survival because you have no vaccine or antiviral drug in you. A lot of people are scared of getting tested because they are afraid to face the outcomes.