Do we really care about reducing HIV/AIDS transmission

HIV/AIDS is on the rise

Image Source - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:World_Aids_Day_Ribbon.svg

Category :Opinion

HIV/AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease. HIV is the viral infection, while AIDS is the full blown disease.

HIV, being a sexually transmitted disease/infection is transmitted from one infected person to the other by way of the sexual fluids or blood. HIV being the viral infection does not kill a person. An individual who has HIV can survive for the longest of time as long as he or she takes the medication prescribed to them. If HIV moves on to become AIDS then death becomes eminent. It is not AIDS itself that kills but the associated infections that comes along with it. AIDS causes the body and immune system to deteriorate and so an individual is prone to all sorts of infections.

One common infection associated with AIDS is pneumonia.

It is said that AIDS kills twice as many black men ages twenty-five to forty-five and that it is the leading cause of death among black women of the same age group. I remember attending a conference and in the group I was in, a researcher informed us that many married women die from AIDS and associated illnesses. Ask why, she continued to inform us that the husbands who knowingly cheat on their wives, unknowingly contract the infection and pass it on to their wives. This revelation shatters the stigma once held that HIV/AIDS is highest among the homosexual community.

Another disturbing fact about HIV/AIDS is the mother to child transmission. On the African continent, the country of South Africa has the highest HIV/AIDS cases in the world with most being mother to child transmission. As many of these individuals are poor and lack the need and know how to get medical treatment, they depend heavily on the numerous charitable individuals and organizations that serve their country and their cause.

HIV/AIDS can also be transmitted through the use of drug paraphernalia such as syringes. This is evident among many drug addicts. Hence, the reason why in medical facilities a new or sterile instrument is used on each and every individual. Blood is another transporter of the virus. There have been cases where individuals end up with HIV after getting blood from a hospital. Such cases end up in lawsuits as blood which is collected by a hospital for distribution should be tested for all possible infections and diseases.

Nevertheless, an individual is able to survive with HIV. Life becomes expensive for sure because of the numerous medications he or she has to take and strict diet regime he or she has to follow. A very popular person who is now living with HIV after receiving “bad blood” for a hospital, is the famous retired basketball player Irvin “Magic” Johnson. So, if you are not willing to live with the consequences, do your part in being safe in your sexual encounters.

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In my spare time I enjoy reading (mostly about scientific and religious topics), writing, listening to music, watching movies on my and actually going to the theatre, and spending time at the park. Qualities which I possess include leadership, motivational, guidance and counseling, article writing, research capabilities, mentor and tutor. In the future I intend on developing an organization geare