Hiv / Aids Essay, Research Paper

Akram Omar

November 20, 2000

Human Variations

Reading Summary of HIV/AIDS

After reading my notes and articles, I am able to understand HIV/AIDS much better. HIV is the deadly virus, which leads to AIDS. (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) The virus was first observed in people in the 1980’s mostly in gay males. Ever since the virus has been growing at an unstoppable rate. Until after 1983-85 when the gay men’s alliance started to bring the issue to the public for awareness. This disease was called the gay man’s disease because mostly gays were contracting this disease. After those years the rates started to go down because people were being more cautious now this was mentioned to them. This virus is contracted through oral or blood transfusion, Breast milk, and prostitution, sexual behavioral, drugs (sharing of needles). Africa holds the highest rate for HIV/AIDS victims in the world and Europe holds some rates up there with Africa. Africa’s heavily infected area is in the Sub-Sahara section of the content; one of four adults is infected with AIDS. In 1980, forty million have contracted the virus and 12 million have died of the virus. During the early years of the 1980’s in America and Europe the count was going down then recently in 1996-97 and up the count is slowly making its way back up.

The minority class leads the way for people who are affected with this disease. AIDS appears in poor areas such as Africa and Asia where there is a lot of corruption in the government, a very big black market were outside influence and mobs handle the imported medicine, which helps these victims. Then doctors end up purchasing these drugs for a price they cant afford or not even buy the medicine. So leaving the people to die or just live life with the disease.

I have learned more about this topic since I did do my readings but also I have known that Africa did have a high rate of HIV/AIDS since it is a poor nation that was on the verge of developing but never reached that point because of the Congo wars and the corruption of the government. You could put the blame on pharmaceutical companies for high prices, which lead to highjacking of the medicine when it is imported in then ends up on the black market.