The HIV/AIDS disease had become a prevalent problem across the globe. Several countries on various continents have become breeding grounds for the malignant disease. According to global statistics, each day over 1,500 children become infected with HIV (“HIV/AIDS Statistics”). This is an astounding number that will continue to rise unless great action is taken. People of all race/ethnicity have been affected in the United States, even the NBA superstar, Magic Johnson. In 2009, there was an estimated 476,732 people living with AIDS in the United States, and in 2010, there was an estimated 33,015 new AIDS diagnosis (“Fact Sheets”).
The rate of contracting AIDS in the United States is rising each year, however, there has yet to grasp the attention of many Americans. Although AIDS is a widespread disease that infects many races and age groups in several different countries, there are trends that have become associated with the disease. As far as the United States is concerned, the South is the epicenter of AIDS. Of the thousands of Americans living with or contracting the HIV/AIDS virus in 2009 and 2010, the South represents almost half (“Fact Sheets”).
The states affected the most in the South are: Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Eastern Texas. These nine states are nine out of the ten highest affected rates in the country. High poverty rates and social determinants in the South make the need for resources and action even more important (McAllaster, Carolyn). Several trends other than geographical relation have become know to be important, such as, age and sex. HIV is a great risk for youth in the United States. In 2009, youth were involved in 39% of all new cases.
The main risk is for young men who are gay, bisexual or African American (“Fact Sheets”). People ages 50 and older infected with AIDS is on the rise due to the increase in new diagnoses and therapy that allows those with AIDS to live longer (“Fact Sheets”). The most severely affected group in the United States is gay or bisexual men. From 2006 to 2009, the risk of HIV among men who have sex with men has risen almost 50% (“Fact Sheets”). AIDS is most often found in young men and gay men, but infects women from either birth or sexual relations with infected men.
Overall, AIDS can affect any age or sex, which is why protection during sex is important. Race is one of the most prominent trends related to HIV and AIDS. African Americans are affected disproportionally in the United States, specifically in the Southeast. In nine southern states, the African American race contributes to 37% or less of each of the state’s population. Remarkably, they count for 40-80% of all HIV/AIDS cases in each state. Also, in many of the states, the rate of contraction is from three to nine times higher than any other ethnic group (“Blacks Disproportionately Affected”).
Due to social stigma, it may be presumed that African Americans are more active in riskier behavior; however, this is not true. Factors such as discrimination, poverty, and lack of health care all contribute to the higher risk and infection of African Americans (“Blacks Disproportionately Affected”). In the South, African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos account for 75% of the population living with AIDS (“Fact Sheets”). All races and ethnic groups are affected by HIV/AIDS, but African Americans, Whites, and Hispanic/Latinos are the hardest hit.
AIDS has tremendously affected our own state of North Carolina. The state of North Carolina is ranked eighth among the top fifteen states in the United States in new AIDS diagnoses. The hardest hit county in North Carolina also happens to be the highest population county in the state; Mecklenburg County (“HIV/AIDS Statistics”). In 2007, an average of seven cases was reported per week and from 1999 to 2007 the number of HIV cases in Mecklenburg County has increased by 57%. Just as in every other state in the South, AIDS influences African Americans more than any other racial group (“HIV/AIDS Statistics”).
In North Carolina, AIDS is a very important issue that needs more attention. Overall, AIDS is a neglected topic in the United States. Patrick Packer, the executive director of the Southern AIDS Coalition, states the problems of AIDS: “stigma prevents education and promotes fear; socio-economic factors prevent the infected from receiving medical attention; and the lack of a focused strategy prevents agencies from using the few resources available effectively” (“CNN Health Team”). The country of the United States needs to come together and make fighting AIDS a top priority.
The people make up the country; therefore, if the people have a severe problem, the country has a dire problem. AIDS for sure is a dire problem in our country and around the globe.Works Cited “Blacks Disproportionately Affected. ” Southern HIVAIDS Strategy Initiative. Southern HIVAIDS Strategy Initiative, 7 Feb. 2013. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. <http://southernaidsstrategy. org/>. CNN Health Team. “Neglecting HIV/AIDS in the Southeast. ”
CNN. com. Cable News Network, 27 Nov. 2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. <http://thechart. blogs. cnn.com/2011/11/27/neglecting-hivaids-in-the-southeast/>. “Fact Sheets. ” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. <http://www. cdc. gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/index. htm>. “HIV / AIDS Statistics. ”
Regional AIDS Interfaith Network. RAIN, Inc. , 3 Aug. 2008. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. <http://www. carolinarain. org/page. aspx? pid=463>. McAllaster, Carolyn. “Report Says HIV Epidemic in the South. ” Duke Law. Duke University, 29 Nov. 2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. <http://law. duke. edu/news/7168/>.