...Jennifer McKinnon HIV/AIDS Disease University of Phoenix HCS 245 Professor Tynan Weed June 2, 2013 Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome also known as AIDS is the final stage of the disease known as Human Immunodeficiency virus. To understand AIDS we first need to discuss HIV. HIV compromises the body’s ability to fight off infections, bacteria and other harmful microorganisms that attack ones immune system, this is usually what causes AIDS. After the body’s immune system is compromised the ability to naturally fight off these things is weakened and the likelihood that it will be attacked is dramatically increased. As the body is defending what it can the possibility of certain types of cancer is also raised. The HIV and/or AIDS disease can go undetected with no signs or symptoms for up to ten years. Scientists believe that the disease came from a chimpanzee and humans acquired it or became infected with it when they would hunt and eat these animals. Some of the factors that put African American women at a more vulnerable state in being infected with HIV and/or AIDS are barriers to testing and treatment, including poverty, limited access to healthcare or prevention education. Studies have shown the direct link of poverty in African American women to be consistent higher HIV and/or AIDS infection rate. The environmental factors that make African American women more vulnerable to HIV and/or AIDS are poverty with limited education. The consequences of not a having primary...
Words: 1003 - Pages: 5
...MEDICAL EDUCATION COURSE: BSC. HEALTH SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT UNIT: HCSI 225-HIV/AIDS * Cultural, social and economic factors that increase women’s vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. Introduction Women, especially in sub-Saharan Africa not only have the highest HIV-prevalence rates, compared to men, but also are greatly affected by the social and economic constraints that prevent them from evading high risk situations. Context-specific factors associated with women’s vulnerability to HIV infection include: Cultural Norms Cultural norms often place a high value on motherhood; attach a negative stigma to HIV-infected women, and view women and girls as primary caregivers. This places a significant burden on them. Other cultural practices such as widow inheritance and female genital mutilation (FGM) also increase women’s risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. Polygamy and early marriages are also very prevalent cultural practices in some societies in the world and most especially in Africa. These setups in most cases disadvantage the women and put them at greater risk of contracting the virus and disease. Poverty Poverty sometimes prompts women to engage in risky behavior, such as exchanging sex for gifts, money or food. As a result, women are more vulnerable to contracting the virus because they are unable to negotiate safe sex. This behavior is commonly seen among transport routes as well as refugee camps, where women and children exchange sex for money or gifts with high risk men. Economic...
Words: 1752 - Pages: 8
... +31 70 426 0799 Acknowledgements I give my sincere gratitude to Jehovah God for his love and care throughout my life and the fifteen months I have been here. With much honour I sincerely thank my Supervisor, Prof M.Grimm, truth be told it was a blessing to have a supervisor like him, I am short of words to describe him, I would simply say he has been tremendously wonderful. Always there for me and giving me feedback in less than I expect, all I can say is that, ‘thank you very much’. I am equally humbled and grateful to my reader Dr Bridget O’Laughlin for her guidance and wonderful suggestions which largely contributed to the progress of this paper. Thank you To the NZP+ women, I feel indebted to you for your wonderful...
Words: 19712 - Pages: 79
...Introduction From its origin, HIV/AIDS has been defined as a sexually transmitted disease associated primarily with white homosexual men. In fact, African Americans are the racial/ethnic group that are mostly influenced by HIV/AIDs. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, by the end of 2008, an estimated 240,627 blacks with and AIDs diagnosis has died in the United States (CDC, 2012). Contrary to the evident statistics affecting the African American population as a whole, there remains a small amount of research studies, dedicated towards HIV/AIDs healthcare promotion and prevention strategies specifically designed for the African American women. However, there is a large proportion of African American women affected by HIV/AIDs. In 2009, black women accounts for 30% of the new estimations of HIV infections among blacks. The rate for HIV infections as compared to other populations is 15 times more than white women, and three times as high for Latina women (CDC, 2012). This is confirmed by social media, primarily directed at African American males. In regards to the African American women, personal beliefs, cultural practices, and social norms act as a backdrop in determining the risk behavior of acquiring HIV/AIDs. This study serves to address the need for prevention strategies among single African American women of 18-22 years of age in college from the middle socioeconomic class. The subjects for the study are voluntary and motivated to learn with...
Words: 2634 - Pages: 11
...Behavior of Young Haitian Women: Implications for Addressing the Risk of HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) C Castor Citation C Castor. Parental Efforts to Influence Sexual Behavior of Young Haitian Women: Implications for Addressing the Risk of HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). The Internet Journal of World Health and Societal Politics. 2014 Volume 9 Number 1. Abstract Background: In 2010, HIV/AIDS was ranked as the leading cause of disease burden in 21 countries including Haiti. Addressing the issues of HIV is complex and associated with the dynamic of personal relationships, which are further complicated by the issues of gender inequality in these relationships. Furthermore, in the Haitian culture, women often fail to have open discussions about sexuality and sexual health and especially the issue of forced sex. This is complicated by the issue of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDs, sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) and/ or related health problems with their daughters. Parental involvement is thought to be an effective prevention strategy in behavior change. However, there is limited data regarding the level of parental contribution to sexual education and development of the young females in Haiti Objective: The study sought to determine: Haitian women’s knowledge of HIV/AIDS and STIs; the impact of parental influence for learning about sex, relationships and sexual health of Haitian women; as well as parental...
Words: 4142 - Pages: 17
...Asa S. Smith AIDS/HIV in Women Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, better known as AIDS, is a raging epidemic. Taking nearly 2.1 million lives and 300,000 children are living with the disease and it shows no sign of slowing down. A person has a collection of symptoms and or illnesses caused by the most advanced stages of HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection. Once the virus weakens your immune system, and your CD4 cells are reduced to a certain number, a patient is considered to have AIDS. This condition progressively reduces the effectiveness of the immune system and leaves individuals vulnerable to opportunistic infections and tumors. A common disbelief about the illness is that you can die from it which is not all factual. You can indeed die once you have contracted the illness but it is from your body’s inability to fight off the common colds and infections that cannot be cured by your immune system because it has become far too weak. AIDS first appeared July 5, 1981 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was first reported in five homosexual men in Los Angeles. In the beginning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not have an official name for the disease, often referring to it by way of the diseases that were associated with it, for example, lymphadenopathy, the disease after which the discoverers of HIV originally named the virus. They also used Kaposi's Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections, the name by which a task force...
Words: 1589 - Pages: 7
...Women Solutions HSM/240 November 1, 2012 Women Solutions Women Solutions Women Solutions 600EastBoulevard 11/1/2012 Women Solutions 600EastBoulevard 248-259-3058 248-259-000 11/1/2012 Founder, Shirley Jones A proposal for seeking funding a non-profit organization that will provide transitional housing and support services for Woman infected with HIV/AIDS living in Detroit Founder, Shirley Jones A proposal for seeking funding a non-profit organization that will provide transitional housing and support services for Woman infected with HIV/AIDS living in Detroit Women Solutions non-profit organization 660 East Grand Boulevard 248-259-9999 ext-123 November 2, 2012 National HIV Housing Coalition | 727 15th St NW # 200 Washington, DC 20005 To Whom it Concerns,I Shirley Jones the founder of the non-profit organization Women Solutions organization is proposing a $1,865,000.00 grant to propose a partnership with CHAG to assist homelessness among HIV/AIDS infected women. Women Solutions organization recognize the social problem that is affecting the Detroit Michigan area. Women Solutions propose to provide transitional housing and emotional support for women infected with HIV/AIDS living in Detroit. I have chosen National HIV Housing Coalition to request assistance because Women Solutions organization shares the same goal in assisting with the housing stresses that HIV/AIDS infected person undergo. Women Solution organization...
Words: 3251 - Pages: 14
...woman can become infected if she has unprotected penetrative sex vaginal or anal, with a man who has HIV. A woman having vaginal sex with a man who has HIV is 2-3 times more likely to become infected than a man would be if he had vaginal sex with an infected woman (HIV and AIDS). AIDS is also spread though sharing contaminated needles for IV drug use, transfusions of blood or blood products from a person with AIDS and children born to an infected mother. Many women in the U.S. have poor access to health care. In addition, women may not perceive themselves to be at risk for HIV infection. Because of this, symptoms that serve as a warning sign of HIV infection may go unheeded (Women and AIDS). Early diagnosis of HIV infection allows women to take full advantage of drug therapies for opportunistic infections, which can forestall the development of AIDS related symptoms and prolong life in HIV-infected people. (Women and AIDS) There are different theories as to the origin of AIDS. AIDS was identified as a new disease in 1981 (Sowadsky). HIV is believed to have originated in Africa sometime between the late 1940s and the early 1950s from the monkey AIDS virus SIV, (Simian Immudificiency virus) (Sowadsky). The two viruses are very similar and are transmitted the same way. However HIV only causes AIDS in humans, and SIV only causes AIDS in monkeys. The SIV virus is found in blood. HIV must have entered humans via monkey blood. This could’ve happened by humans drinking monkey blood,...
Words: 566 - Pages: 3
...INTRODUCTION The following paper will serve the purpose of analysing the policy response to HIV and AIDS in Kenya as a case study in East Africa. Kenya has the main organisation which facilitates and controls various HIV and aids policy strategic response which is the national aids control council (NACC). It is the mandate of the Kenya Ministry of Health (MoH) to deliver quality, affordable health care to all citizens of Kenya. Various strategic documents have outlined plans towards achieving this goal, including the Second National Health Sector Strategic Plan (NHSSP II, 2005-2010) and the Kenya National AIDS Strategic Plan (KNASP, 2005-2010).They are various other documents which include the HIV and AIDS Prevention and Control Act, 2006 Sexual Offences Act, 2006 Children’s Act, 2001 Medical Laboratory Act, 1999 Science and Technology Act, 1980 Public Health Act (Cap 242) HIV prevalence in Kenya is estimated based on the Demographic and Health Survey (2003 and 2008/9), AIDS Indicator Surveys (KAIS 2007 and 2012) and Antenatal Clinic (ANC) sentinel surveillance. A trend analysis starting from 1990 shows that prevalence in the general population reached a peak of 10.5% in 1995‐96, after which it declined by about 40% to reach approximately 6.7% in 2003. Since then, the prevalence has remained relatively stable. The decline of the prevalence from 1995 to 2003 is partly attributed to high AIDS related mortality while the stabilisation of the epidemic in the last 10 years is largely...
Words: 2856 - Pages: 12
...AIDS LEGAL Network Q A Publication of the AIDS Legal Network • September/November 2008 Patrick Eba One size punishes all… A critical appraisal of the criminalisation of HIV transmission Lauded by lawmakers as an expression of their strong will to ‘fight AIDS’, HIV-specific laws have become a ubiquitous feature of the legal response to HIV in sub-Saharan Africa1 As of 1st December 2008, twenty countries in ECOWAS Parliament, the West African Health Organisation sub-Saharan Africa had adopted HIV-specific laws.2 (WAHO), the Center for Studies and Research on HIV-specific laws or ‘omnibus HIV laws’, as they are Population for Development (CERPOD), the Network of sometimes ironically referred to, are legislative provisions Parliamentarians in Chad for Population and Development that regulate, in a single document, several aspects of HIV and the USAID West African Regional Programme.3 and The stated objective of these HIV-specific laws, as communication; HIV testing, prevention treatment, care provided under several of their preambulary provisions, and support; HIV-related research; and the protection of is to and AIDS, including HIV-related education people living with HIV. The emergence of HIV-specific …ensure that every person living with HIV or laws in sub-Saharan Africa can be traced to the adoption presumed to be living with HIV enjoys the full of the Model Law on STI/HIV/AIDS for West...
Words: 44716 - Pages: 179
...HIV Prevention in African American Women Introduction From its origin, HIV/AIDS has been defined as a sexually transmitted disease associated primarily with white homosexual men. In fact, African Americans are the racial/ethnic groups that are mostly influenced by HIV/AIDs. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, by the end of 2008, an estimated 240,627 blacks with and AIDs diagnosis has died in the United States (CDC, 2012). Contrary to the evident statistics affecting the African American population as a whole, there remains a small amount of research studies, dedicated towards HIV/AIDs healthcare promotion and prevention strategies specifically designed for the African American women. However, there are a large proportion of African American women affected by HIV/AIDs. In 2009, black women accounts for 30% of the new estimations of HIV infections among blacks. The rate for HIV infections as compared to other populations is 15 times more than white women, and three times as high for Latina women (CDC, 2012). This is confirmed by social media, primarily directed at African American males. In regards to the African American women, personal beliefs, cultural practices, and social norms act as a backdrop in determining the risk behavior of acquiring HIV/AIDs. This study serves to address the need for prevention strategies among single African American women of 18-22 years of age in college from the middle socioeconomic class. The subjects for the study...
Words: 1895 - Pages: 8
...Running head: AIDS/HIV IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY MBA 530 Community Health Evaluation/Epidemiology Dr. Patricia Pierce Latoya Blain 06/17/2012 AIDS/HIV in the African American Community Of all the ethnic and racial groups of the United States of America, the African Americans are the ones who have been to a larger extent faced with the HIV/AIDS burden. Statistics show that more than two hundred and thirty thousand African Americans have already passed on as a result of AIDS- a figure which represents 40% of the total deaths in the U.S. Besides, it is estimated that those living with HIV in the U.S. are more than one million, half of whom are blacks (NASTAD, 2005). The probability of having been infected with HIV/AIDS among the African Americans is one on every 16 (for the black males) and 1 in every 30 people (for the black women). Washington D.C. has the highest prevalence of HIV infection, at three percent; with 75% of the infected people being African Americans. The National HIV/AIDS Strategy has reported that African Americans form the greatest proportion of the many cases of HIV/AIDS in the various transmission sorts, including among women, injection drug users, infants and heterosexual men (The White House, 2010). From the above statistics, one may, therefore, wonder African Americans as affected by AIDS in such a disproportionate manner. Historically, it was back in the early 1980s...
Words: 2241 - Pages: 9
...HIV Introduction H - Stands for Human. The virus is only found in humans and not in animals or insects. I - stands for Immunodeficiency – This means the virus weakens the bodies' ability to fight other infections. In time this leads to the group of illness called AIDS. V - Stands for Virus. It is an infectious agent that is non cellular. It is capable of self replicating only inside living cell. They are therefore parasitic because they rely on the host cell multiplication mechanism. AIDS A-Acquired an acquired condition is the one that is not inborn. AIDS patient acquire a condition that makes them not able to fight infections. I - Immune A normal human being has an immune system that helps them fight disease. The immune system involves structures such as the skin to keep away entry bacteria and other pathogens. The environment we live is full of micro organisms some living in the air, others water and others in food. Our bodies are well adopted to keep away these micro organisms. D – Deficiency. When it comes to HIV AIDS there is deficiency of adequate immunity. HIV virus infect immune cell (to be particular T-helper or CD4+ cells). T - Helper cells are very instrumental in the immune system thus when they are attacked by the virus they deplete in number. S - Syndrome: A variety of different symptoms and illness. The grouping of well recognized illness connected with AIDS makes a syndrome. TYPES OF HIV Two types of HIV are currently recognized: HIV-1, HIV-2. - Transmission...
Words: 16287 - Pages: 66
...immense problem. In HIV/AIDS, many different factors at many levels form the context, interact, and come into play. Individual factors: Individual factors that contribute to HIV/AIDS include having multiple sexual partners, sexually transmitted diseases, not using a condom and not circumcising males (Auvert et al, 2001). Individual behaviour is largely determined by the social environment, such as community norms and values, regulations, and policies. Societal factor: Systemic discrimination. Stigma and discrimination also influence the spread of HIV/AIDS. Stigma creates barriers to the uptake of interventions to prevent HIV infection, treat it and give support to people living with the disease (Klein, Karchner & O'Connel, 2002; Hamra, Ross, Orrs & D’Agosrino, 2006, Parker & Aggleton, 2003). Issues such as promiscuity, homosexuality and blame tend to prevent people from disclosing their HIV status and seeking care. Prejudice against people with HIV/AIDS may mean people are denied their right to care. Interventions aimed at HIV/AIDS need to consider where there may be prejudice and how stigma-related factors interact at various levels. Socioeconomic and political factors: Inequities. HIV/AIDS is increasingly concentrated in the poorest and most marginalized societies (Kumaranayake & Watts, 1999; Buve, Kalibala & McIntyre, 2003). Studies among African-American women (Espele, 2002; Lane, Rubinstein, Keefe, Webster, Cibula, Rosentahl, & Dowdell, 2004) and African women (Farmer, Nizeye...
Words: 651 - Pages: 3
...higher rate of HIV infection of African - American women In New York City there’s an alarming rate of African - American women at high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. It’s unfortunate that amongst New York City unlimited diverse population, the African-American woman have steadily and continue to become affected with the HIV virus. Even though nowadays medication has shown improvement to treating HIV, more needed towards the prevention of becoming HIV-positive. Numerous factors must be addressed, and educational programs becoming readily available to the urban modern lifestyle’s that African American as well Women of all ethnicity partake. Change begins with acknowledgement and understandings. History of HIV/AIDS Over 33 million people around the world are infected with AIDS or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. Of which over a million people are infected with AIDS in the United States. At first, AIDS in the United States was considered a white gay man’s disease. In fact, AIDS was once referred to as “The Gay Plague” (Shilts, 1987). However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in 2005 that women now make up 26 percent of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. African American women are infected at even higher rates than Women of other racial and ethnic groups. In 2005, close to 127,000 women were living with HIV/AIDS. Black women made up 64 percent of those women living with HIV/AIDS. In 2004, HIV was the leading cause of death for black women aged 25-34 ...
Words: 556 - Pages: 3
