Long Essay
Introduction
HIV is a virus that can lead to AIDS. Patients infected with HIV often shows no symptoms until the disease has progressed to AIDS. HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids, but cannot be transmitted through casual contact. Most commonly, HIV is transmitted through sexual contact. It may be transmitted through blood-to-blood contact, such as needle sharing or accidental needle sticks in a healthcare setting. It may also be transmitted during pregnancy or birth from mother to child. It cannot be transmitted through casual contact such as hugging, playing sports or touching something that was touched by someone infected (CDC, n.d).
Background and Significance
In 2007, Latino women comprised 6.5 percent of the total
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Such differences place Latino women at a disadvantage as compared to both groups in terms of current prevention and treatment initiatives. The Latino experience of HIV/AIDS is rooted not only in gender, but also in the socioeconomic, sociocultural, and political contexts of the women’s lives. The purpose of this study is to explore Latino women’s narratives of living with HIV/AIDS. The central questions guiding this study were: (a) what issues contribute to Latino women becoming infected with HIV? (b) What factors, or confluence of factors, play a role in Latino women living with HIV/AIDS? (c) What does being infected with HIV/AIDS mean to Latino women? and (d) How do Latino women make sense of being infected with HIV/AIDS within the broader context of their …show more content…
Does our current partner know about your status? Do you use condoms? Were you ever forced to have unprotected sex? How do you define abuse? Were you pushed, slapped or forced to do something against your will? Were you ever abused as a child? What services are available to you in your community? It is expected that the in-depth interview will provide detailed information about sensitive topics that some participants might not be willing to provide in the focus group settings. In addition to the focus groups and interviews, community meetings will be held to present findings from the study and get some feedback from the
HIV has flu-like symptoms. The symptoms include fever, chills, rash, night sweats, sore throat, etc. If a person doesn’t take a medicine called ART (antiretroviral treatment) their immune system will weaken and then they will develop AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). The symptoms of AIDS are rapid weight loss, extreme and unexplained tiredness, pneumonia, memory loss, depression, etc. Symptoms of HIV can start between a few months and more than ten years. HIV can only be spread through certain bodily fluids. Most of the time it is spread sexually. It can spread by blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milk. In the United States HIV is usually spread through anal or vaginal sex without taking medicine to prevent HIV or using a condom. HIV is also spread by sharing needles or syringes. HIV can live in a used needle for up to forty-two days. HIV does not survive long outside the body. It also cannot reproduce once it is outside its host. HIV also cannot be spread by tears, sweat, or saliva as long as it is not mixed with blood. HIV is a biosafety level three agent which meant it
Semen containing white blood cells infected with HIV comes into contact with tissue in the rectum and vagina. The virus can then enter the bloodstream of the host through perforations in the tissue surface. The risk of this happening is greatest in anal intercourse, either between two men or a man and a woman.” HIV is spread through a direct exchange of blood or blood products. This mode of transmission is most frequent among IV drug users who share injection needles. It includes, as well, hemophiliacs and other persons who receive blood transfusions, and fetuses of mothers who carry the AIDS virus.” AIDS has sparked considerable interest and controversy since the start of the epidemic. However, in trying to identify where AIDS originated, there is a danger that people may try and use the debate to attribute blame for the disease to particular groups of individuals or certain lifestyles. When the AIDS epidemic became offical in June 1981, it was widely considered exclusively a "gay disease” and this was because many people were confused and uneducated about this new, foreign disease that faced and ravaged our society as a whole. There is no doubt that many people coming from all walks of life were subject to discrimination when other people discovered that they were suffering as victims taken by the disease. The cultural and social response to AIDS portrayed in the film Philadelphia (1993) covered all of these aspects and was
African-Americans are the ethnic group most affected by HIV/AIDS. Ironically african-americans represent 14% of the population of the United States , but represent 44% across the gender line. African-american men represent 70% of HIV infections among the ethnic group, however african-american women are also highly at risk of HIV infection. Indeed they have a rate of infection that is 15 times greater than the rate for caucasion women (HIV among African-Americans, 2012). Most African-american women (85%) are infected with HIV through heterosexual sex, often with partners, who claim to be
HIV and AIDS is affecting the latino community in a negative way. It’s causing the quality of life in the United States to drop, but why is that. In 2015, Hispanics/Latinos made up about 23% of the countries new HIV diagnoses despite only being 18% of the population. The stigma that comes from the Hispanic/Latino culture, factors being economical or personal are major factors that makes HIV/AIDS thrive in the latino community. The young Hispanic/Latino community are at risk since, they are being deprived from showing their sexuality because of their cultures stigma. The gender power imbalance in these communities, and their stigma against homosexuals. Statistics from new HIV infections, gender ratios, death rates, education and so on.
Unfortunately, not everyone who searches for help will receive a positive experience. There have been negative interactions with IPV survivors and agencies that have impacted Latina women (Postmus et al., 2014). As mentioned in Rizo and Macy’s research (2011), Latina women who have been victims of partner violence may not be able to speak English. This creates a language barrier when communicating with agencies because some agencies do not have a Spanish speaking staff, which results in an uncomfortable environment (Rizo & Macy, 2011). Also, some staff have asked survivors of IPV for their status, which has created fear in women who are seeking help (Rizo & Macy, 2011). Some agencies have limited funding which do not allow them to have services that could benefit Latina women (Postmus et al., 2014). These limited services have made Latina women and other women of marginalized groups to feel
Moreover, the HIV epidemic in this region is almost double than compared to any other regions in the nation. The University of North Carolina has found a number of factors that demonstrate a relatively accurate assessment of increasing number of HIV cases in North Carolina and other parts of the southern region. Migrants can be a marginalized population with significant barriers to accessing preventive services. This process of migration may put Latinos at higher risk for HIV. Through the course of migration many Latinos and Hispanics experiences risky behaviors in multiple sexual partners and an increase in illicit drug use. According to Micah and William, Mexican migrants may be more likely to engage in riskier behaviors following the
Since I am a Hispanic/Latino I will be discussing the rates and risk factors of HIV specifically associated with the prevalence of HIV with Hispanics. First, the prevalence of Hispanics having HIV is quite larger in comparison to other races. In the United States of America, the estimated HIV infection rate amid Hispanics in 2010 was more than 3 times as high as that of the white race, being over 21% of all new HIV infections across the country. Two major socioeconomic factors that might have caused the prevalence of HIV amongst the Hispanic population are poverty and language barriers. The numbers can go on. In 2010, a whopping 87% of Hispanic men had new HIV infections among Hispanics in the United States. In regards to Hispanic homosexual men, 67% of them were estimated to have new HIV infections in 2010. Furthermore, the estimated rates for Hispanic women infected with new HIV infections was
HIV is a detrimental disease in the African-American community. During the 1980s HIV was on the rise as many people were uneducated about the virus itself and how the virus was contracted. Precious contracted HIV from her mother's boyfriend, which is more difficult to handle when you live in a state of poverty. Precious had limited funds and limited health care options. If an individual contracts HIV in 2016 there are medications that can prolong their life and keep them comfortable unlike the resources available in the 1980s. According to Rao and colleagues, African-Americans face many downfalls with HIV due to difficulty accessing proper care and medication (2016). Rao address that there is a stigma associated with HIV, as well as African-Americans,
"AIDS in the Barrio" purpose made people think about AIDS in Puerto Rico (P.R.), by look more at the society in which these people live instead of focusing solely on the facts. It draws the viewer in more by having these personal type of vignettes addresses the cultural customs and economic standing of these individuals that increased their prevalence of HIV. Some of these factors affect AIDS including the macho attitude and unemployment.
HIV/AIDS is a disease with social, psychological and physiological consequences for those impacted by the illness. The impact of HIV and AIDS among African American women has been devastating. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC, 2010) reports that black women represent 29% of the estimated new HIV infections among all adult and adolescent African Americans and HIV/AIDS is the third leading cause of death for black women ages 25?44. Several
HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is an autoimmune disorder. HIV is commonly spread through the shared use of needles and is
Women of color have a higher chance of contracting HIV than any other women in society. This is something that could be avoided if sexual ignorance in a heteronormative relationship was dispelled. As this ignorance is broken down, women of color can achieve more power in the relationship, sexual freedom, and sexual satisfaction.
Many people are unaware of their health status further increasing transmission of disease in young adult African American(AA) women age 18-24. Human Immunodeficiency Viruses (HIV) infects and also destroy blood cells (i.e. lymphocytes) that the body need to fight off infection (Mays 2011). African American women HIV positive, age 18-24 the magnitude of issue of the health disparity in this particular population will be addressed along with the many factors of social and health determinants. The health concern is towards the increase of transmission among young AA mothers and their children who are the health outcomes in many ways than one. The many social and health determinants that affect the women today are on going cycles that have yet to be broken. African American women make 64% of new infection cases for HIV. African american obtain a vulnerability unlike other minorities. The health population’s culture and stigma has played an important role in the community. The concern for AA women is the increase of new cases and most importantly the spread of the disease to these women’s children. The mortality rate of AA women with HIV is 47.1% as of 2012. (Siddiqi 2015)
HIV, or the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus which damages and kills cells of the immune system. It attacks the T-cells, key cells of the immune system, and uses them to make copies of itself. After being infected with the virus it progressively interferes and eventually destroys the immune system's ability to fight the anti-genes. HIV may develop into the syndrome AIDS, the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. HIV is an STD - a sexually transmitted disease - and therefore most commonly it is spread through sexual contact, and the virus mainly enters the body through the penis, mouth, lining of the vagina or vulva during sexual activity. HIV can also be spread through sharing syringes or needles with someone who is infected with the
HIV is found in the blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk. It is also present in saliva and tears, but there is not enough HIV to cause infection. In order to infect another person, these fluids have to find a way of getting into that other person’s blood. Sharing drug needles with a person infected with the HIV virus is high risk for transmission. Unprotected anal or vaginal sex is also risky because of the exchange of body fluids. One cannot get HIV from dry-kissing on the mouth or from donating blood.