Today, society has the best medical care in history. Medicine has advanced to the point where people are living longer and more people are being born. In the past, dying of illnesses at a young age was very common. It was also common for a baby to die at birth and for the mother to die along with it. Society has studied these problems and not only have they found cures and treatments for these illnesses; they understand the impact the environment contributes to these problems. Diseases thrive in unhealthy and unsanitary living conditions. HIV is a growing problem in Africa. The main contributor to Africa’s HIV problem is wealth. Wealth can affect the amount of medical care a person receives, the living conditions they find themselves in and the obstacles that they need to face.
HIV originated in non-human primates in Africa and later mutated to infect humans. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is a retrovirus that infects the cells of the immune system (HIV/AIDS). When someone contracts HIV their immune system is completely destroyed. Illnesses that were nothing to worry about before, are now extremely deadly, for example the common cold. The body can no longer has the capability to fight these illnesses. People with HIV are …show more content…
Aids was also recognized as an epidemic. HIV used to be known as gay-related immune deficiency or GRID for short. It was assumed that if someone had this disease it was because he was gay. People believed that the only way GRID was transmitted was through anal intercourse. In reality, HIV can be transmitted through unprotected intercourse (anal or vaginal), sharing contaminated needles and transfusions containing contaminated blood. Children are also at risk if their mother has HIV. Children can contract the disease during childbirth and if the mother breastfed
HIV originated in non-human primates in Africa and later mutated to infect humans. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is a retrovirus that infects the cells of the immune system (HIV/AIDS). When someone contracts HIV their immune system is completely destroyed. Illnesses that were nothing to worry about before, are now extremely deadly, for example the common cold. The body can no longer has the capability to fight these illnesses. People with HIV are …show more content…
Aids was also recognized as an epidemic. HIV used to be known as gay-related immune deficiency or GRID for short. It was assumed that if someone had this disease it was because he was gay. People believed that the only way GRID was transmitted was through anal intercourse. In reality, HIV can be transmitted through unprotected intercourse (anal or vaginal), sharing contaminated needles and transfusions containing contaminated blood. Children are also at risk if their mother has HIV. Children can contract the disease during childbirth and if the mother breastfed