Outcast. Contagious. Unworthy. These are feelings that people with H.I.V experience. Human Immunodeficiency Virus attacks the immune system which makes the body more vulnerable to contract other serious diseases that can kill a person. Others who don't have the disease feel as if they can get it from any kind of contact with a person who has contracted the disease. They don't think about the feelings of the people who have H.I.V and do things like avoiding them and not touching them without really knowing the symptoms, treatments, and prevention of keeping H.I.V from spreading. Many times the people who give H.I.V to others either don't know they have it or won't tell their partner. Not considering the health of the people in their lives. If you don't follow the prevention tips you are more vulnerable to getting H.I.V.
When I think of H.I.V now opposing to back in the day, it's much more manageable today and fewer people are dying from it, well that is if you can afford the medicine and treatments that help keep it under control. On average 2.3 million people in the world have H.I.V and until the Health Care Act was made by President Barack Obama many people in America could not afford the things needed to contain the disease. Lessening your chances of contracting it is more effective than being unaware. In the African American community it is said that this ethnic group is most affected by H.I.V, specifically black men which is very surprising.
Some children are born with H.I.V., will people treat them the same? Even though they had nothing to do with contracting the disease? Being cautious is one thing but being ignorant is another. Although many people contract this disease from having unprotected sex and saying this will never happen to them, it isn't accurate. Contracting H.I.V can happen to anyone, attacking the immune system and slowly killing a person without them knowing. But in today's world; many medicines and treatments that are available can help a person control how it affects their body. That's a good thing right ? As a teen I am more susceptible to being carefree about the things I do, but really it does not make sense for people to continue getting the disease if so much information is provided. Everyone should be more aware of H.I.V to change the way people perceive it as contagious and to lower their own risks of contracting the disease. Be safe!
Sources:
"HIV/AIDS Fact Sheets " http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/education-materials/fact-sheets/20/48/the-basics-of-hiv-prevention Last Updated : April 4th, 2014
"Overview of HIV Treatments" http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/just-diagnosed-with-hiv-aids/treatment-options/overview-of-hiv-treatments/ Last Updated: 08/07/2009
"Global Aids Overview" http://aids.gov/federal-resources/around-the-world/global-aids-overview/ Last Updated: 12/18/2013
CDC "HIV Among African Americans" http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/racialethnic/aa/facts/index.html Last Updated: February 6th, 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment