The Impact of AIDS and Reasons Behind the Outbreak

Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
We have qualified writers to help you.
We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.
You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Click Here To Order Now!

Reasons behind the Outbreak

Based on a study by Whiteside (2008), the acquired Immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) came into the public limelight on the 5th of June 1981 in a report by Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, USA. AIDS is apparently caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that crossed from primates into human beings. The use of the acronym AIDS was agreed on in July 1982 and later CDC gave a working definition for the disease based on clinical signs (Whiteside, 2008).

Drawing from a study by AVERT (2016), AIDS outbreak was a result of an event that took place in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1920 causing HIV to cross from chimpanzees to human beings. However, it was not possible to determine the number of cases between 1920 and 1981 when AIDS was brought into the glare of the public (AVERT, 2016).

Currently, AIDS is regarded as the worlds biggest public health challenge (WHO, 2016). Although it has had a devastating impact on people in every part of the world, it is more prevalent in developing nations.

Facts about AIDS

Facts about AIDS

The World Health Organization outlines a number of facts about AIDS (WHO, 2016). One of the facts about AIDS is that it occurs as a result of the weakening of the bodys immune system by the HIV virus. AIDS thus refers to an advanced stage of HIV infection. Another fact is concerns transmission. According to WHO, HIV can be transmitted in various ways including unprotected sex, blood transfusion, sharing contaminated clinical items, and mother to child transmission at some stages of pregnancy. Based on findings by the World Health Organization, there are approximately 36.7 million people suffering from AIDS globally (WHO, 2016). Apparently, this number includes about 1.8 million children.

Signs and Symptoms

According to USDHHS (2015), affected individuals may experience flu related illnesses within 2  4 weeks after being infected with HIV in the early stages. However, others may still appear healthy during this period. These symptoms include but are not limited to fever, night sweats, muscle aches, fatigue, and a sore throat. In the absence of an effective intervention strategy, a victims condition worsens and proceeds to AIDS (USDHHS, 2015). At this stage, an individual will show symptoms such as rapid weight loss, sweating profusely at night, extreme tiredness, pneumonia, and sores in the mouth or genitals.

What AIDS does to your Body

As explained earlier, AIDS generally weakens a victims immune system and disrupts their normal functioning. Eventually, a fertile ground is created for opportunist diseases to thrive. These are diseases that take advantage of the fact that the bodys immune system is no longer strong.

Prevention of AIDS

Precautionary Measures for Protection

To be safe from HIV and AIDS, it is imperative for an individual to go for early testing (WHO, 2016). This helps to ensure that treatment is administered timely. Another strategy for dealing with AIDS involves the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART). The use of ART stops HIV from multiplying and enables patients to live longer (Holmberg, 2008). AIDS can also be prevented by practicing safe sex, using disposable needles when injecting drugs, and making sure that blood is tested for HIV before transfusion.

Tests and Treatments

As mentioned earlier, it is important to have patients tested early so that the treatment can commence on time. Treatment is mainly conducted through the use of antiretroviral therapy.

Conclusion

AIDS is certainly a menace to the society that requires a joint intervention strategy. However, with an effective strategy, it is possible to lessen its impact on the society. The use of ART, for example, ensures that the affected individuals live longer.

References

AVERT. (2016). . Web.

Holmberg, S. (2008). Scientific errors and controversies in the U.S. HIV/AIDS epidemic: How they slowed advances and were resolved. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (USDHHS). (2015). Web.

Whiteside, A. (2008). HIV/AIDS: A very short introduction. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

World Health Organization (WHO). (2016). Web.

Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
We have qualified writers to help you.
We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.
You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Click Here To Order Now!