HIV and AIDS has become a growing, seemingly endless problem in the United States, as well as globally. This paper will seek to explain HIV and AIDS in an informative manner. In addition, statistical information will be provided, along with a possible explanation for why the incidences of HIV and AIDS have not made a significant change in the last decade. HIV The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a disease that infects the body and destroys the immune system. It is spread more frequently through unprotected sex with an infected partner.
However, HIV can also be spread by sharing needles with an infected person, through birth or breast-feeding by an infected mother, through contact with contaminated blood, and through blood transfusions with contaminated blood, although not frequent (CDC, 2007; NIAID, 2007). According to AIDSInfo (2005), HIV has six main parts in its life cycle: a) Binding and Fusion – the HIV cell binds to the CD4 receptor on the surface of a CD4+ T-lymphocyte (T helper); the HIV cell fuses with the host cell; the virus releases RNA into the host cell after fusion
b) Reverse Transcription – the reverse transcriptase of the virus converts the RNA to DNA c) Integration – the HIV DNA enters the nucleus of the host cell; an HIV enzyme hides the HIV DNA d) Transcription – RNA polymerase is used to create copies of the HIV DNA and messenger RNA e) Assembly – HIV proteins join with copies of HIV DNA to produce a new virus particle f) Budding – the new virus buds from the host cell and can now move to infect other healthy cells Signs and Symptoms Generally, symptoms of HIV infection do not initially occur.
Most HIV infected people will exhibit flu-like symptoms a few months after exposure. Patients are often misdiagnosed at this point. During this time, the HIV infected person is extremely contagious (NIAID, 2007). More severe and problematic symptoms can generally take 10 years or longer to appear after initial infection. This is known as asymptomatic infection. Although there may be a lack of symptoms during this period, the virus is still killing immune system cells, and multiplying (NIAID, 2007). Statistical Information
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2008), there were approximately 35,314 newly diagnosed cases of HIV/AIDS in children, adults, and adolescents in 2006. Three quarters of those cases were among adolescents and adult men. At the end of 2003, it was reported that an estimated amount of 1,039,000 to 1,185,000 people in the United States were living with HIV or AIDS (CDC, 2008). In 2006, African Americans accounted for 49% of the estimated 37, 331 new cases of HIV/AIDS. Hispanics and Latinos accounted for 19% of the new cases. Women, of all races, accounted for 26% of new cases (CDC, 2007; CDC, 2008).