...When we think of a hero, of a great person, we think of those who have fought endless battles. But, what if the battle was not fought on solid ground? Think of it…in our everyday life: Ignorance, prejudice, hatred…those are battles, too; maybe the toughest we have yet to overcome. I want to share with you a woman who is fighting this same battle: Mary Fisher, Republican, speaking out on the battlefield of the Republican National Convention, Houston, TX, 1992. Mary Fisher, a woman avid for allies, battling against AIDS. In Mary Fisher’s “A Whisper of AIDS,” Mary, a mother, who is HIV positive, speaks out about how awareness is the key to finding a cure. Her speech will be analysed using Aristotle’s approach to rhetoric. By applying logos, pathos, and ethos, Mary’s speech can be best understood. What is her logic? What passion does she want you to feel? And what makes her credible? Those questions will be answered in this speech today. Mary Fisher’s logic is very clear– without awareness we cannot move forward in fighting the battle against AIDS. We should fight with our words and not our silence. If AIDS is viewed as a homosexual disease then we have no hope in finding a cure. Mary’s logic in her speech calls us “to recognize that AIDS virus is not a political creature. It does not care whether you are Democrat of Republican; it does not ask whether you are black or white, male or female, gay or straight, young or old.” This powerful logic helps redefine who the...
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...pain. He’s in a small village in South Africa and all he can hear around him is weeping and crying; he and his sister will most likely not attend school anymore. The lifeless corpse being buried is his aunt; he and his younger sister had lived with her, unfortunately she died from HIV. His Mother also died of HIV two weeks before his aunt had passed, and his father abandoned him and his sister. He and his sister are now left with no relatives; fortunately, they will be living with a friend and his mother. This tragic story is just an example of the pain and despair some children have to go through in Africa. This chaos occurs throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Millions of children in Africa everyday are being born with HIV and as a result, many children lose their parents or relatives. Each child knows that their life is limited and eventually they will die sooner or later. Although the HIV epidemic is spreading, some programs like UNAIDS were established to assist the worldwide fight against Aids. Many people have to take medication and live with this burden for the rest of their life. The spread of Aids in Africa has become an epidemic due to its progression and continuous spread despite the help, HIV has affected South Africa society and economy severely, and the epidemic continues to spread in South Africa due to the Governments lack of attention and misinformed people. Many people are unaware of the true facts about the virus and its reality. Aids is an acquired immune deficiency...
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...Stages of HIV infection Site: AIDS info Date: Sept. 23 2014 HIV is a virus that ultimately leads to AIDS and death. This is because this virus attacks and weakens the immune system, and along the way destroys the infection fighting cells. If the virus is treated as soon as it is discovered, medications can help a person live a longer, healthier life. Without treatment this virus gets worse over time causing the infection to advance in stages, until the person’s immune system becomes so weak, which puts them at risk for getting opportunistic infections, which causes death. There are three phases to this infection. The first stage is called acute HIV, which develops anywhere between two and four weeks after a person is infected. “During this time, people experience flu- like symptoms, which may include headaches, fevers, and sometimes rashes.” In this stage, HIV spreads very fast, throughout the infected body. This virus starts to attack the fighting CD4 cells which are the cells that help to fight infection when a person is sick. HIV can be transmitted at any of the three stages. The greatest risk is the first stage in which the virus spreads rapidly, known as acute HIV stage. The next stage of this infection is known as “chronic HIV, asymptomatic HIV, or clinical latency.” During this phase, HIV continues to increase but at a very slow pace. At this time, people who are infected may be asymptomatic, but can spread this disease without realizing it. Deprived of HIV medications...
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...Title: Infectious Disease paper on HIV/AIDS By: Susan Rhine Date: June 17, 2012 Class: Health and Diseases Teacher: Alexis Deavenport Infectious diseases are rampant throughout the world and only seem to be getting worse. Some of these diseases are treatable, but some are still untreatable even with many years of research. Some of these diseases include: Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, Influenza, Chickenpox, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus(MRSA), Clostridium difficle, Hepatitis B, and Rotavirus. Any of these diseases if contracted, can cause death. The one disease that I would like to discuss today is HIV/AIDS. This is one of the most deadly diseases in the world today. If a person has HIV does not necessarily mean that the person will also have the AIDS virus; it just means that they have the virus that causes AIDS. However; if a person has AIDS, then they will also have HIV because it is the virus that causes AIDS to be brought on. Unfortunately, the spread of AIDS has been great since the year 1981, with over 980,000 cases reported in the United States alone. It is important to know that HIV and AIDS are not the same disease. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and is a virus that can be caught on contact. HIV can eventually turn into the AIDS virus even though it takes time varying in length from a couple months to years. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. When the HIV virus ends up attacking a person’s immune system...
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...Mary Fisher: The Struggle to Inform Demetris Vance ITT Technical Institute (Online Division) Mary Davis Fisher is an artist, author and speaker who travel the world promoting for those who share her HIV-positive status. UNAIDS Special Representative Mary Fisher is a strong advocate in raising awareness and engaging people living with HIV. Fisher, a former wealthy socialite from a prominent Republican family, has become a public symbol for the lesson that no one is immune to HIV. Mary Fisher's life, despite her privilege, has been anything but easy. Her father abandoned her when she was very young, and much of her life has been spent trying to please Max Fisher, her mother's second husband. Her mother was an alcoholic, as was Mary, who also married twice. Both marriages ended in divorce; after the second divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had infected her with HIV. As she becomes part of the AIDS community, she loses friends to the disease, and she gets more critical of conservative responses to AIDS. She characterizes some Republican rhetoric on HIV-positive immigrants as ``horrible'' and condemns the Christian right for its moralism. But Fisher writes around other issues, leaving it unclear, for instance, whether she agrees with media accounts that portrayed her famous 1992 speech as the only moment of compassion in an otherwise vicious convention. (Dorfman, 2012) On August 20, 1992, Mary Fisher addressed the Republican National Convention in Houston. She spoke for...
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...Immunology of Pediatric (HIV) Unit 1 Assignment 1 (GE257) Ashley Pernell September 21, 2015 HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus where the body has a hard time fighting off infections and disease. If left untreated it can lead to AIDS. The human body cannot get rid of HIV. That means that once you have HIV, you have it for life. Most children who are born to mothers who have HIV do not become infected with this virus. In the case that they do become infected, their response to treatment varies depending upon the timing and potentially the route of their infection. (Tobin & Aldrovandi, 2013) The majority of pediatric HIV infection occurs via mother-to-child transmission at three points: in utero, intrapartum, or through breast milk. Most children born to women with high levels of HIV and low numbers of CD4+ T-cells do not become infected. Even when primary HIV infection occurs during pregnancy, 80% of children escape infection. (Tobin & Aldrovandi, 2013) Utero transmission is mother to baby transmission of HIV during pregnancy. This transmission may occur if there is damage to the placenta and blood from the mother contact the fetus. During the third trimester of pregnancy, maternal immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies are transplacentally transferred. The antibodies are associated with infant safeguard against a variety of microbes. Most utero transmission infections occur a few weeks before the delivery. The HIV in these infants is different from infants...
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...different types of infectious diseases, some are treatable and some unfortunately still untreatable. There is no cure for these diseases even though they have been researched for years, these untreatable diseases include but are not limited to cancer, and one of the most deadly diseases Aids and HIV. Having HIV does not mean that the person also has the Aids virus; it means that they have the virus that causes Aids. However if a person has Aids than they also have HIV sense HIV is the virus that causes Aids to set in. There have been over 980,000 cases of Aids reported in the United States since 1981 (Center for Disease control, 2009). HIV and AIDs are not the same disease; HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and can be caught on contact. HIV can turn into the AIDS virus though it takes time which can vary in length from a couple of months to years. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome this means that once the HIV virus starts attacking the immune system and breaks down the necessary cells that keep the body healthy, than AIDS sets in. If however HIV is detected early and medical treatment is established it is possible for the patient to survive with the HIV virus for years. There are medications that can be taken to boost the immune system and help fight back the virus to prevent the onset of AIDS. This virus is spread through the physical transmission of bodily fluids. Transmission of this virus can range in form. The transmission of bodily fluids...
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...an antiretroviral treatment that can suppress HIV – the virus that causes AIDS – and the antiretroviral treatment can delay illness for many years. After reading many articles I found that there is many scams out their that are trying to sell a cure for AIDS, so if you have aids don’t fall for these misleading they don’t work. Many people that are infected with this deadly virus don’t even know that they are infected. Many people don’t even develop symptoms after they first get infected with HIV. Others on the other hand tend to get very sick. The person will have flu – like illness within several days even to weeks after they have been exposed to the virus. The infected person will start to complain that they have a fever, headache, tiredness, and enlarged lymph nodes on their neck. These symptoms tend to go away by themselves after a few weeks. . This asymptomatic phase often lasts for years. The progression of this disease can vary among each individual, and this state can last for a few months to more than ten years. A CURE FOR AIDS There is no cure for AIDS or the HIV infection as of today. Although antiretroviral treatment can help suppress HIV; the virus that is known to cause AIDS, and this antiretroviral treatment will slow down symptoms of illness for many years, but the treatment can’t get rid of the AIDS virus completely. Until this day their hasn’t been any reports of anyone that actually got rid of the HIV infection, but that doesn’t stop people from trying...
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...AIDS/HIV Demographic Case Summary Michael Eiden January 9, 2012 n Abstract Health care in the United States is impacted by numerous demographic populations such as individuals with chronic diseases; such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes etc. Long term care patients, the uninsured and Emergency management also have a significant impact on health care system. But none of these demographic populations has the impact on health care in the United States as individuals with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, better known as HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS impacts virtually every community in the U.S. and around the world. Almost everyone has been affected in some way by this preventable but incurable disease. The disease can be managed to some extent but at a high cost. AIDS/HIV Demographic Case Summary Population Demographics and Origins of HIV/AIDS According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates there are believed to be more than 1.5 million individuals living with HIV in the United States as of 2011 (CDC, 2011). The earliest known case of HIV was detected in a blood sample collected in 1959 from a Kinshasa man of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. How he became infected is unknown. It is not precisely known how the disease entered into the United States, but it is believed to have been around 1969 or so. In the early 80’s Doctors in various large cities on both coasts began seeing young gay men for Kaposi’s sarcoma; a cancer associated with...
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...The AIDS and HIV virus is a very dangerous disease that sees no race, no color, no gender, no economic background and not even a specific age group. It can affect anyone, at any time if they put themselves in a situation where they could be at risk. AIDS stands for what is called acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The virus causes the body’s immune system to break down and become useless in fighting illness and bacteria. Even a common cold could lead to the death of a person affected with the AIDS virus. Contrary to popular belief, a person does not just become affected with the AIDS virus right away. AIDS is actually caused by a pre virus called HIV, or human immunodeficiency syndrome. The antibodies, substance in your body that fights infection, in a person become infected once HIV is transferred into a human. Blood tests are often used to detect this virus. A person that is affected with the HIV virus may look perfectly healthy and show no signs what so ever of this illness. It is very easy for a person affected with this virus to spread it to others through certain types of contact. Because HIV weakens your immune system, it is very easy for a person to become ill. They suffer many health problems. Some of these problems can include extreme weight loss, severe pneumonia, forms of cancer, and damage to the nervous system. These illnesses signal the onset of AIDS (AIDS prevention guide). If a person is receiving medical care, it is likely that a person will be able to...
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...and can cause serious illnesses. People with AIDS develop many different kinds of diseases, which the body would usually fight off quite easily. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), which the first stages of AIDS, can be passed on though the sexual fluids of sexual intercourse and blood of infected people. If infected blood or sexual fluid gets into the blood system, then you will become infected. If a man with HIV has vaginal intercourse without a condom, infected fluid could pass into the woman ¹s blood stream through a tiny cut or sore inside her body. If a couple has anal intercourse the risk of infection is far greater. HIV can also be passed on by the sharing of equipment used to inject drugs. Blood can remain on needles and syringes but if you share, a person infected with HIV needle, the virus can be injected directly into the blood system. AIDS is not just something that other people need to worry about like, gays, drug users, and people who get laid every night. These ideas are mistaken. All people need to take the threat of HIV seriously. The most effective way of fighting this deadly virus is to be cautions and educated about the disease and avoid activities that may put you at risk. During the past decade, more than 400,000 individuals in the United States have been diagnosed with AIDS. Some scientists believe that HIV virus spread from Chimpanzees to humans between 1926-1946. Recent research indicates it may have been as early as 1675, but did not establish itself...
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...TABLE OF CONTENT PART 1 1. INTRODUCTION 2. HIV/AIDS age breakdown – South Africa (1998-2000) 3. Division of two organizations (education and mining sector) 4.1. Education sector 4.2. Mining sector 4.3. Gender breakdown 4.4. Provincial break down 4. Life expectancy 5.5. The potential impact on the demographic profile of the work in education 5.6. How HIV/AIDS affect the work in education 5.7. How HIV/AIDS influence my school as an organization 5.8. Should my school or my organization start to replace labour with technology: 5.9. To whom the department of education supply learners 5.10. What impact will HIV/AIDS have on educational labour bill 5.11. My organization start to employ people from abroad 5. Stigmatization 6. AIDS impact model (Aim) 7.12. Definition 7.13. Recruitments costs 7.14. Training costs 7.15. Health care 7.16. Formulating a sound HIV/AIDS policy 7.17. Establishing HIV/AIDS prevention support 7.18. Condom distribution 7.19. Provision sexual transmitted disease and other care 7.20. Counseling care and support for employees with HIV/AIDS 7.21. Education programme 7.22. Monitoring and evaluation PART 2 1.1. Introduction 1.2. HIV/AIDS awareness programs (step 1) 1.3. Voluntary testing (step 2) 1.4. Disclosing information 1.5. Outline the relationship...
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...Health should not organize a “Use Condom” campaign. This is because the priority and the main concern should be focused more on the practical and efficient ways in how to prevent HIV and AIDS instead of encourage people to use condoms which don’t seem enough to stop the spread of AIDS. Although condom can help in preventing sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and HIV and AIDS, but somehow it provides less protection against certain STD especially involved skin to skin contact, which including human papillomavirus or known as HPV like genital warts, syphilis and genital herpes. Using condom during sexual intercourse will reduce the risk of HIV and AIDS infection, but it doesn’t provide 100% protection against the diseases infection. There are still some rare cases in which some people were infected with HIV although they were using condom during sexual activities. The objective of the “Use Condom” campaign seem like only focus on the use of condoms which sending the wrong message that it’s fine to do any illicit sexual activities as long as using condom and will not get infected with these diseases. Not only that, there are still many ways to get infected with HIV and AIDS other than sexual activities. HIV and AIDS can get transmitted through the sharing of needles, breastfeeding from the mother who is HIV-infected, sharing syringes or other equipment used for drugs injection and blood transfusion. In all these factors, condom will not play an important part to prevent the spread...
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...HIV The Human immunodeficiency virus is a type of virus called retrovirus. It infects the human immune system and may cause AIDS by eventually killing the white blood cells, fighting off disease. HIV and AIDS have reached developing countries, but its very serious for the United States to see it as a threat. Also, had an impact on mortality rates and the economy. The HIV prevalence is one percent or more in the general population, by the end of 2011 thirty four million people were living with HIV. Where did HIV come from exactly? It actually came from chimpanzee's. One of the immunodeficiency virus transformed to HIV when us humans hunted these poor chimp's for their meat, and when came in contact with their infected blood there was HIV. The virus slowly spread through Africa and soon enough later to other parts of the world. In the United States we know the virus existed since the mid to late 1970's. If you leave your HIV untreated it turns fatal due to it eventually overwhelming the immune system, resulting AIDS. How HIV can be passed around is easy. Only certain fluids such as blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milk from an infected HIV person can spread HIV. In the United States HIV is normally spread by having sex with someone who has HIV (anal sex & vaginal sex) and sharing needles, syringes, rinse water, or tools used to inject drugs with someone with HIV. Everyone ages 13-64 should and is recommended to get tested for...
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...that is HIV or AIDS. It has been plaguing this country for years and other parts of the world for even longer. Scientist believes that the HIV virus came from a chimpanzee from Western Africa. They think the virus most likely jumped to humans when humans hunted these chimpanzees for meat and came into contacted with their infected blood (What is HIV / AIDS?, 2012) . After years the virus spread and infected multiple parts of African and then spread to other parts of the world. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This virus only affects human beings and what it does is weakens the immune system by destroying important cells. The cells it attacks are the T-cells or CD4 cells (What is HIV / AIDS?, 2012) . The human body has these cells to fight infections and disease. Therefore when it encounters the HIV virus the T-cells try to attack it but instead the HIV virus ends up invading those cells and uses them to make more copies of itself. Then when it is done it destroys them (What is HIV / AIDS?, 2012) . This process does not happen overnight. The HIV virus can lay dormant for a long period of time before an individual might know that they have contracted it. Even when HIV is dormant it can still be spread to other human beings because HIV lives in semen, vaginal fluids, blood, and breast milk (Krantzler, PhD, MPH, 2007). There are specific ways one can contract the HIV virus. The most common way is by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has HIV. Other ways...
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