GVC06-22 Newspaper

The Global Epidemic of Generation Y: HIV/AIDS
by Heather P (WM)

Since 1981, the immunodeficiency virus HIV/AIDS has become a problem throughout the entire world. The virus is a lifelong illness and enters the body through various substances such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid, preseminal fluid, and breast milk. These substances can enter the body through anal, vaginal, or oral sex, contaminated needles, transference from a mother to her child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding, or simply being exposed to one of the infected substances.

The virus is now believed to have affected 38.6 million people throughout the world, and has killed more than 25 million since 1981. In the earliest stage of the virus, HIV/AIDS usually has no symptoms or only flu-like ones such as fever, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, etc. As the virus progresses, cancers, night sweats and fevers, rapid weight loss, and other symptoms, such as other infections, can occur. Nearly all of the organ systems are affected by the virus and without antiretroviral therapy, people with HIV/AIDS normally die within a year.

The number of cases of AIDS varies in the different races of people. African-Americans are currently the largest race affected by the virus, at a percentage of 49%. Whites come in second at 31%, followed by Hispanics at 18%. The races with the least amount of cases were the Asian/Pacific Islander race at just 1%, and American Indian/Alaskan Native were below 1%. Among men living with AIDS, 41% were African-American. As for women, it was a much higher 64% for the amount of African-Americans.

There are ways to treat AIDS, although the virus cannot be cured. There are many medications to help with the treatment that all fall into four specific classes. The first is Nonnucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs) which are designed to bind and block reverse transcriptase, a protein which the virus needs to keep reproducing. Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs) are used to stall the reproduction of the virus cells. Protease Inhibitors (PIs) disable protease, which is another protein that AIDS needs to reproduce itself. The last is one of the newest treatments called Fusion Inhibitors, which block the virus from entering cells.

There are lots of ways to prevent getting AIDS. The best way is abstinence, but that isn’t the only way. Avoid having sex with people who do have AIDS or are at a high risk of getting the virus, such as prostitutes. Don’t have sex with someone who has multiple partners and avoid having anal sex altogether. Avoid coming in contact with your sexual partner’s blood, semen, etc. and use condoms to exercise more caution. Also, if getting a tattoo or piercing, make sure the needles are sterile and safe to use.