AIDS as a Life-Threatening: Descriptive Essay

You receive a call from the Red Cross, the blood you donated tested positive for HIV/AIDS. How did you receive this virus? AIDS is an extremely widespread virus that poses a health threat for millions around the world. Both strains of HIV, HIV-1 and HIV-2, plague so many people around the globe, and these people have a high possibility of getting AIDS if the HIV virus isn’t contained. Statistically, homosexuals contract AIDS at a higher rate than heterosexuals, and only a small percent of these people will receive life-lengthening drugs, such as ART, that can help maintain the virus and help to prevent HIV from changing into AIDS. Altogether the AIDS crisis is a horrible pandemic, and we could do everything we can to end it.

AIDS is a life-threatening virus and poses a threat for everyone, including women, even though it’s widely believed that only homosexual men can get the virus. When women get tested positive for AIDS there isn’t the same quantity of drugs available for them as there is for men( Cozic 33 ). Through many types of research conducted, it has been found that women die quicker from AIDS. This may be from the lack of response to women in the AIDS crisis, as many see it as a virus that is spread from man to man, another possibility is that they simply overlook women and put them into the minority(Cozic 34). Once a woman gets diagnosed with AIDS they may be isolated and reduced to only another person in a hospital, never receiving the life-changing medication they need. In 1989, 9% of AIDS cases were women, this would definitely put them in the minority in almost anyone’s eyes, and on top of this many women will never get tested for AIDS, as they may also think that only men can spread the virus(Cozic 38). AIDS is currently spreading like wildfire in the homosexual community, this is for both men and women, and many don’t know how widespread it is. Whichever way you look at this virus, you can see that women are in the minority when it comes to the AIDS crisis.

Homosexuals make up more than HALF of all AIDS cases, and most of the homosexuals getting AIDS are receiving it through sexual contact, and unfortunately, some believe you can get it just from casual contact. In just three years the number of homosexual AIDS cases had risen by 400%, this is absolutely crazy, and from this, we can deduce that many homosexuals have multiple partners, and do not practice safe sex(Opheim 15). In fact, one homosexual man said: “safe sex is unexciting sex” (Opium 25). Many doctors encourage people to practice safe sex, and many homosexuals are practicing unsafe sex, which undoubtedly is the reason why the AIDS epidemic is so widespread. Sadly, some unfortunate individuals believe AIDS can be spread through casual contact, like using the same sink or drinking out of the same cups, but in fact, the ONLY way to get AIDS is through blood, sexual contact, and birth(Opheim 15). Dr. Gerald H. Friedland of Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York, studied 145 people who had close contact with people who tested positive for AIDS. Some of the people even lived with the infected, and some shared personal items, but never had sexual contact with the infected. Out of these 145, only one had also tested positive for AIDS, a young girl whose parents had both tested positive for AIDS before she was born, and she likely contracted AIDS when she was being birthed(Opheim 14). In another report, researchers studied 300 people that worked closely with persons who had close contact with AIDS patients, this included doctors, nurses, and orderlies. Out of the 300, only 14 tested positive for AIDS, and those 14 were homosexuals who were sexually active(Opheim 14). There have also been NO cases where a person did get AIDS from casual contact, because as I said before, its transmitted through blood, birth, and sexual contact. In conclusion, homosexual makes up a large portion of AIDS-infected individuals, and you cannot get AIDS from sexual contact.

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In some large cities, AIDS has become the leading cause of death for people under the age of 40, and we need to provide more drugs for these people. Over 65% if people with AIDS are homosexual or bisexual males, and they without a doubt have interrupted the transmission of AIDS, causing it to spread more rapidly. “The needs of the HIV-infected highlight inequalities in our economy and health care system” (Cozic 18) This is because of astigmatism around homosexuals, and how many believe they are “morally wrong”. We also need to provide more experimental drugs for all AIDS patients. Only 90% of AIDS patients are currently receiving any type of drug to help combat the virus, and in all honesty, they should create more treatments targeted at helping to contain AIDS (Opheim 19). Many cancer patients are given hope that they have treatments that can possibly cure their cancer, or at least a longer life. This means that AIDS patients should also be given the same hope as cancer patients. Also, by treating these patients you help the family and the community, you give them hope that their loved ones can be helped and that if they possibly get this virus, they have the possibility of living a longer life (Cozic 18) (Cozic 19). All in all, we need to give AIDS patients more opportunities to live longer life.

There is only one that can lead to AIDS, and that is HIV. There are two strains of HIV, HIV-1, and HIV-2, both of which developed from SIV, the Simian Autoimmune Virus, but originally came from different breeds of primates. HIV-1 mutated from SIV found in chimps, while HIV-2 mutated from SIV found in the sooty mangabeys, the difference in the strains of HIV has become a problem when trying to combat the virus, because you can’t just make one frug and hope it cures everyone (How it Began). HIV-1 is divided into 3 groups, all with their own nicknames. First, it is HIV-1 M, also known as the “major: group, makes up more than 90% of HIV infections globally, let me remind you, HIV has been scientifically proven to become AIDS when untreated, so this 90 % of people should be given adequate drugs, but sadly many aren’t (How it Began). HIV-1 O is also known as the “outlier” group, and HIV-1 N is commonly referred to as the “new” group (How it Began). These three different strains of HIV-1 and one strand of HIV-2 are constantly intertwining with one another, creating an even more complicated virus that would require even more time and effort to cure. There are a few theories on how SHIVA got into humans and mutated into what we know today as HIV/AIDS. One of the most popular, and most plausible theories is, when hunters went out hunting for “bushmeat”, what they also call chimp-meat, they unintentionally killed chimps/monkeys that had SIV in their meat and blood. Upon killing these primates the hunters got infected with SIV, by either eating the raw meat, or getting the infected blood into cuts or scrapes, the SIV then started to mutate and began to spread through sexual contact, blood, and birth (How it Began). Another theory is that, in 1957-1960, at the height of the Polio epidemic, millions of Africans were given the Oral Polio Vaccine. Unknowingly they ingested a vaccine that was grown in chimp cells that were infected with SIV (How it Began). Both theories are plausible, but HIV most definitely did not become what it is today through anal sex with chimps, also known as bestiality (How it Began). To sun this up, there are a few different strains of HIV and multiple theories on how SIV mutated into HIV.

In 2016, there were 1.8 million new HIV infections and 1 million AIDS-related deaths, to end this pandemic we need to optimize the treatment and prevention for those at risk. Currently, there are more than 30 FDA approved for treating HIV and HIV-related co-infections (Ending). This is amazing considering we new near to nothing about this virus 30 years ago, but there is still room to expand the number of treatments available for HIV-positive individuals. Over 19.5 million people are currently receiving some form of ART, also known as Antiretroviral Therapy (Ending). Of the millions of people taking ART, 44% had completely suppressed the virus and were expected to live to about 53 years if they began the therapy at around 20. Considering that in 1981, when the virus was first recognized as HIV, the life expectancy of anyone was 1-2 years at most (Ending). Statistically, there has been a 96% reduction in HIV transmission when the HIV-infected partner began ART when they first discovered they had contracted HIV (Ending). After approximately 58,000 condomless sex acts among HIV-serodiscordant couples, there was NO transmission of HIV when the partner was receiving ART. Also, way to prevent the transmission of HIV is through pre-exposure prophylaxis (Ending). This is a drug that is taken orally and can reduce the chance of receiving HIV by 95%, considering condoms are only about 80% effective in preventing the transmission of STDs, this seems like a pretty good idea (Ending). From this, we can ultimately conclude that ART helps people with AIDS, and the amount of drugs we have to combat HIV is absolutely stunning.

In conclusion, the HIV/AIDS crisis is extremely widespread and affects millions around the world, both directly and indirectly. Homosexuals are at a higher rate of contracting HIV, but with drugs, such as ART, AIDS is something people can live with now.