...it affects millions of individuals daily. AIDS is an abbreviation for (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is the final stage of HIV (Human Immune Deficiency Virus), which causes severe damage to the immune system. AIDS officially originated from a primate of chimpanzees in West Africa as the source of HIV infection in humans. Scientist believed that the chimpanzee version of the virus called (Simian Immunodeficiency Virus or SIV) most likely was transmitted to humans and mutated into HIV when humans hunted this source for meat and became in contact with their infected blood which resulted to HIV. Over decades, the virus slowly spread across Africa and later into other parts of the world. Today, the targeted populations of AIDS are Black/African Americans. The estimated number of AIDS diagnosis in 2011 was 15,958; and the cumulative estimated number of AIDS diagnosis through 2011 was 486,282 according to the CDC. “According to Centers for Disease Control (CDC), African Americans represent 13% of the U.S. population but account for more than half of all new HIV diagnosis. One in five HIV positive Americans close to a quarter of a million people have yet to be diagnosed. Alarmingly, African Americans make up the majority of the undiagnosed. Evidence shows that individuals who are unaware of their HIV status are more likely to transmit HIV and less likely to access care and treatment that improve their quality of life.” (cdc.gov) More than 1.1 million people in the...
Words: 931 - Pages: 4
...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 in the African American Population HIV in the African American Population The year was 1981, and the first discovered cases of PCP, Pneumocystis Cabrini pneumonia was discovered in five young males who did not fit the norm for being diagnosed with this disease. In 1983, the isolation of a T lymph tropic retrovirus was found. In January 1983, the CDC reported a new disease which could be sexually transmitted both homosexually and heterosexual, passed from mother to infant, through blood and blood products. A note was made that the disease could also be passed from a negative host, who carried the disease asymptomatically. On February 7th, the world takes notice of the African American blacks and their relationship with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In 2006, blacks composed approximately 12% of the United States population over the age of 13. Out of that reported number it was estimated that 46% of them are living with HIV/AIDS. 63% of those cases were from between male to male cases, with 83% new cases being from high risk heterosexual black females. The numbers from the CDC report it is an estimated 12.3 per 10,000 blacks that are currently affected yearly. 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...
Words: 2772 - Pages: 12
...of racial and ethnic minorities, uninsured children, women, those living in rural areas, the homeless, the mentally ill, the chronically ill and disabled and those with HIV” Shi and Singh, 2015). “In 2010 a questionnaire was made with 15 racial categories that included white, Black, American Indian or...
Words: 1745 - Pages: 7
...HIV Saad Niazi HCS/245 JUNE 19, 2012 Margraet Latham HIV In this paper we will discuss several components about the Human Immunodeficiency Virus or better known as (H.I.V.). Some of the questions answered today are, How is (HIV) spread, once infected with the disease can it be cured and if not cured how well is it managed, We will also look at the beginning of the diseases life, what demographics are the most affected, the future of the disease and how much as a global community we have spent to combat (HIV). History (HIV) was first clinically observed in its most advanced form as Autoimmune Deficiency Syndrome better known as (AIDS) IN 1981. The first cases were a cluster of people who were using drugs intravenously and gay men with no known causes of impaired immunity showed symptoms of a rare and opportunistic pneumonia infection that presents itself when the immune system is compromised. Not too long after gay men started to develop Kaposi’s sarcoma a rare form of skin cancer. There were starting to be more and more cases of Kaposi’s sarcoma and pneumonia popping up all over the country. The spike in cases caused the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to form a task force. In the beginning the (CDC) did not have a name for the disease, the (CDC) often referred to it by associated diseases for example, lympadenopathy the original name of (HIV). The general media had coined the term GRID which stood for Gay Related Immunodeficiency...
Words: 1165 - Pages: 5
...at this present time there is absolutely no solution to the problem. The epidemic I am conveying of is AIDS. AIDS does not at all show prejudice in addition to all to everyone is exposed to the disease. The Center for Disease Control in 1981 transferred out their report advertising abnormal deaths and outbreaks (Begley, etal, 2001). In March 1981 there existed about eight instances reported of a contentious form of Kapos’s Sarcomi arrived in New York. In the article it spoke about five homosexual men that had come down with an unusual parasitic lung infection called Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. About the same time there was an increase of Kaposi’s Sarcomi that was a rare form of benign cancer which was for the most part detected in older people. A while after the report outside of the Centers for Disease Control a task force was arranged in order to examine the abnormal increase of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and additional frequent life threatening opportunistic infections (AVERT, 2010). The New disease there was very little known about it, and it seems to be affecting the gay population. At first in the beginning it was a profuse belief around this disease that exist later explain inaccurate. A peculiar assumption was made in July 1981 by Dr. Curran of the Center for Disease Control. He made a statement saying that he believed that there was no apparent danger to non-homosexuals. Dr. Curran believed at that time there were no reports of the disease outside of the homosexual...
Words: 1189 - Pages: 5
...Identify the targeted population. HIV/Aids • Gather data about the population demographics. More than 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV infection, and almost 1 in 5 (18.1%) are unaware of their infection Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM),1 particularly young black/African American MSM, are most seriously affected by HIV. By race, blacks/African Americans face the most severe burden of HIV CDC estimates that 1,148,200 persons aged 13 years and older are living with HIV infection, including 207,600 (18.1%) who are unaware of their infection.1 Over the past decade, the number of people living with HIV has increased, while the annual number of new HIV infections has remained relatively stable. Still, the pace of new infections continues at far too high a level— particularly among certain groups. HIV Incidence (new infections): The estimated incidence of HIV has remained stable overall in recent years, at about 50,000 new HIV infections per year.2Within the overall estimates, however, some groups are affected more than others. MSM continue to bear the greatest burden of HIV infection, and among races/ethnicities, African Americans continue to be disproportionately affected. HIV Diagnoses (new diagnoses, regardless of when infection occurred): In 2011, an estimated 49,273 people were diagnosed with HIV infection in the United States. In that same year, an estimated 32,052 people were diagnosed with AIDS...
Words: 513 - Pages: 3
...Chelsea Johnson Bio 111 Dr. Hall HIV AIDS in Southeastern U.S United States Statistics show that the AIDS epidemic began in 1981. Since then 1.7 million Americans have been infected with HIV. A number of 583,298 U.S. citizens have died due to AIDS-related causes. 1.1 million Americans are living with HIV and don’t even know it. An estimated 21% of people living with HIV are undiagnosed. AIDS spread so fast that every 9.5 minutes; someone in the U.S. is infected with HIV. The leading cause of the spreading disease is said to be gay and bisexual men. Gay and bisexual men continue to spread the HIV infection. They are accounted for an estimated 53% of new HIV infections. Also, African-Americans and Latinos are affected by HIV and AIDS as well. However, Blacks are accounted for 45% of new HIV infections in 2006. There is 47% of Black living with the disease and they make up only 12% of the U.S. population. Latinos account for 17% of new infections. They comprise 15% of the U.S. population. Whites represent 35% of new infections and account for 66% of the total population (HIV/AIDS Facts). The AIDS case rate for African Americans is more than 9 times that of whites. Also the HIV rate is 7 times greater among blacks than whites. Survival after an AIDS diagnosis is lower for blacks than any other racial/ethnic group. The largest share of any age group is young adults and teens between 13 and 29 that represent 34% of new HIV infections. Black teens that become affected represent...
Words: 1090 - Pages: 5
...National Perspective of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic on Hispanics/Latinos in the U.S. Washington, Keith Dr. Trigg HSHA 332 December 2, 2015 A National Perspective of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic on Hispanics/Latinos in the U.S. HIV is the abbreviation for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV is the virus that leads to AIDS. HIV affects specific cells of the immune system, called CD4 cells, or T cells. Over time, if left untreated, HIV can destroy so many of these cells that the body is no longer able to fight off infections or other diseases. However, with proper medical care, HIV can be controlled. When a person is infected with HIV the immune system tries to fight off the virus and does make some antibodies, but these antibodies are not able to defeat the virus. Scientists identified a type of chimpanzee in West Africa as the source of the HIV infection in humans. They believe that the chimpanzee version of the immunodeficiency virus called simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV most likely was transmitted to humans and mutated into HIV when humans hunted these chimpanzees for meat and came into contact with their infected blood. Studies show that HIV may have jumped from apes to humans as far back as the late 1800s. Over decades, the virus slowly spread across Africa and later into other parts of the world. We know that the virus has existed in the United States since at least the mid- to late 1970s. It has been reported that the HIV virus was first noticed in the...
Words: 1992 - Pages: 8
...RESEAR CH AR TICLE Psychosocial Distress and Alcohol Use as Factors in Adolescent Sexual Behavior Among Sub-Saharan African Adolescents RANDY M. PAGE, PhDa COUGAR P. HALL, PhDb ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: This study examines the relationship between sexual behavior, alcohol use, and indicators of psychosocial distress (mental health) of adolescents in 6 sub-Saharan African countries using the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS). METHODS: The sample consisted of 22,949 adolescents from Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe who participated in 2003 or 2004 GSHS surveys. Statistical analysis was conducted to determine whether sexual behaviors increased with levels of psychosocial distress and alcohol use. RESULTS: Sexual behaviors (having sex or having sex with 2 or more people) were associated with both psychosocial distress and alcohol use. Odds ratios showed that both boys and girls reporting psychosocial distress and alcohol use were at higher risk for having sex. Results also indicated that the likelihood of sexual behaviors increased when there was an increase in the number of psychosocial indicators and frequency of alcohol consumption. CONCLUSION: The results of this study are consistent with those conducted in the United States suggesting that sexual behavior, psychosocial distress, and substance use are interconnected. These findings highlight the need for school health education and health services in sub-Saharan Africa...
Words: 9184 - Pages: 37
...The Rising AIDS Epidemic amongst African American Females By Shameka L. Weathersby Department of Sociology Mississippi College The Abstract Our country is faced with so many challenges wars, financial meltdown, and the growing threat of the AIDS epidemic. More than 56,000 people in this country contract HIV every year. AIDS was once thought to be a white epidemic that accounted for a high percentage around the 1980’s until the late 1990’s. Today it is worst among African Americans who represent nearly half of all new HIV infections, including two-thirds of the new cases among women and 70 percent of the new cases among adolescents. In researching African American accounted for the greatest percentage for cases diagnosed among males (44%) and the majority of cases among females (68%) among the ages 20-40 years old. AIDS clearly has affected certain groups more than others have. This study of AIDS among black women has caused concern in attitudes, health awareness, and beliefs when expressed by the community level. In interviewing three women and the AIDS, association we found that education alone is not a solutions but the changing the ways of thinking can produce a better outcome. This paper describes the practical usefulness of qualitative research in HIV/AIDS prevention education. Introduction Over the past 20 years, we have heard of new diseases like Ebola virus, lime disease, chronic disease but among these new diseases, AIDS has become the most...
Words: 1987 - Pages: 8
...Diversity Concerns in Public Health Name: Institution: Date: Diversity Overview Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (2010) defines Diversity in relation to public health as the term that describes the virtual uniqueness of each person or people group. The uniqueness that exists among the diverse people groups includes their skills, experiences, culture, interests, values and their ambitions. Each of these groups is rich with enormous possibilities. One of the Public Health provider’s professional responsibility is to learn and understand the diversity and cultural differences that exists in there area of operation and beyond, in order to address the health needs of these groups effectively (Woodward, 2010). One of the key agendas of the public health sectors in any country is to provide health care interventions that make a positive difference to the people and in a way that respects and values diversity of those people (UK DoH, 2004). The government has a responsibility to ensure that the rights of the different people groups are protected in the law, so that all the citizens in the society, especially the vulnerable groups are protected from discrimination (Woodward, 2010). It is important for Public Health Professionals to recognize that it is expected for them to provide care for members of the society who are from diverse backgrounds. This paper provides a discussion on the diversity concerns of public health. In discussing this topic, the paper looks at different...
Words: 3267 - Pages: 14
...Ciara S. Lawrence April 17, 2011 Research Paper (Draft) Professor Jeffries Introduction: HIV/AIDS is an epidemic that has become widely spread in the United States which has become a major public health issue around the world. There are around 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS and 400,000 new cases every year.[] In the U.S. today women make up more than 300,000 of the 1.2 million people with HIV/AIDS.[] Being that AIDS is the leading cause of death in black people throughout the U.S.. Black people make up 13 percent of the population, but 65 percent of new HIV/AIDS cases. Whereas black women are still dispportionate infected for more than sixty-six percent of HIV/AIDS cases in the country with a rate of infection fifteen times higher than white women and four times higher than Latinas. Considering the aforementioned, it is not difficult to conclude that most of the new cases pinpoint a major disparity between black women and women of other races. Cultural environmental and other factors that exacerbate the problem are high numbers of black men going to prison, the effects of the black church and the lack of government resources. In my research paper, I will identify the causes of HIV/AIDS and suggest solutions to prevent the spread of this disease among black woman. According to Mayo Clinic the definition of Human immunodeficiency virus is a virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in which the immune system in the body begins to fail causing...
Words: 832 - Pages: 4
...this population affect health care. Furthermore, identify two key health care-related challenges with patients with AIDS, and describe how a chronic disease wellness programs may affect the cost for the demographic. And last, how can an individual patient in the community and society as whole address these challenges. The Center for Disease Control (CDC), has estimated that there are more than one million people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States (Center of Disease Control, 2011). AIDS arrived in the United States in 1969 through an infected immigrant from Haiti. In the 1970s and 1980s, there was an estimated one million or more people that were infected with AIDS and half million individuals had died from AIDS in the United States. HIV is a silent disease that can be undetected. CDC stated that roughly fifty thousand annual infections between 2006 and 2009 in the United States are infected with AIDS. The largest number of AIDS was among white men who have sex with men followed by African-American men. And Hispanic men and African-American women (Center of Disease Control, 2011). According to U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (2012), “Gay and bisexual men of all races are the most severely affected by AIDS. More than seventeen-thousand people with AIDS in the United States died in 2009 and more than 619,00 people with AIDS in...
Words: 1022 - Pages: 5
...on the Condom-Use Behaviors of Eighteen- to Twenty-Four–Year-Old Urban African American Males STEPHEN B. KENNEDY, M.D., M.P.H.,1 SHERRY NOLEN, A.A.,2 JEFFREY APPLEWHITE,2 ZHENFENG PAN, Ph.D.,1 STEPHEN SHAMBLEN, Ph.D.,1 and KENNETH J. VANDERHOFF, M.A.1 ABSTRACT This research study sought to develop, pilot test, and assess a brief male-centered condom promotion program for urban young adult African American males. For study implementation, both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used, and the project was guided by tenets of two common but integrated theoretical frameworks in HIV/sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention research: the social cognitive theory and the stages of change model. The purpose of the qualitative component was to identify and explore condom-use barriers and facilitators while that of the quantitative component was to identify the prevalence of condom-related behaviors and the feasibility of program administration. After recruitment of study participants from hang-out spots and street intercepts, study participants were self-administered a baseline survey regarding their perceived condom-use behaviors prior to random assignment to program conditions (a condom promotion program and an attentionmatched comparison condition). In this paper, we report the findings from the analyses of the quantitative baseline survey data. While the occurrence of HIV/STD-related risk behaviors were highly prevalent among this population;...
Words: 9505 - Pages: 39
