Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Human Immunodeficiency Virus 0
Sociology
Student’s Name
6/4/2019

Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1
Human Immunodeficiency Virus is becoming the most serious disease that is affecting the
lives of humans globally. It is analyzed that East and Southern Africa is hardly strike by HIV.
It consists of the major number of individuals living with HIV. It consists of 6.2% of the
world’s inhabitants and was recorded one-third of the new infections in the year 2016
(Kharsany and Karim, 2016).
The HIV outbreak in this county includes immature women, men who have sex with men,
transgender people, sex workers, prisoner and the folks who put in drugs are at an augmented
exposure to disease. HIV is considered a leading reason of death in Africa. The Sub-Saharan
region of Africa consists of the poor people and is not aware of the precautions which
become the cause for the most affected country. Presence of HIV and AIDS affects the
African economy as it consists of a large number of infected persons which in turn decreases
the labor supply and the labor productivity due to suffering from the disease for the longer
period of time (Hakim et al, 2017). The further paragraphs will reflect upon the social,
economic medical and personal problems faced by infected persons and will also cover the
diagnosis, symptoms, prevention, and precautions for reducing HIV and AIDS suffering.
The main problem faced by HIV patients includes the social stigma and the negative attitude
of the people affects the social and the mental health of the patients. Ostracism, depression,
anxiety, frustration, social rejection leads to personal and social problems for the patients. It
creates social isolation and complications in overcoming from the disease. Social rejections
create difficulty in getting social support and the patients are not able to satisfy the basic
needs because they face the problem of unemployment (Collier and Sterck, 2018).
The patients suffering from HIV suffer stigma and discrimination. The patients suffer
negative attitude, prejudice, and abuses which denied them to take the health services. The
affected persons are shunned by their families, peers and wider community. They are not able

Human Immunodeficiency Virus 2
to access quality health services and also face poor treatment at the workplace settings and
educational institutions. Such discrimination and erosion of the rights create psychological
damage and fear towards accessing the health care services (Des Jarlais et al, 2016).
The infected person suffers social isolation and ridicule at the workplace from their co-
workers and the employers and suffers discrimination practices which include refusal and the
termination of employment. Such discrimination leads to difficulty in fulfilling the basic
needs and creates poverty for the infected persons (Bigna et al, 2016).
Due to increasing economic crises at Africa, the population suffers from high food
uncertainty and restricted access to the hygiene, sanitation and the water facilities which
create difficulty in the medication of the HIV treatment due to an empty stomach. It leads to
attack of rigorous diarrhea, cholera or other gastrointestinal infections that accelerate
development to severe AIDS-related illnesses if left untreated. This triggered poverty in the
country and affected the economic situation of the country. The insufficient supply of the
antiretroviral drugs and the health care providers became the reason for the most HIV
positives in Africa (Halkitis et al, 2017).
HIV is the virus that breaks down the cells of the immune system. It stands for Human
Immunodeficiency Virus that makes easier to get sick. This disease is not curable but
medicines help the person in staying healthy. The virus remains in the body for a lifetime.
Intake of the medicines lowers the chance of spreading the virus into other people. It is
analyzed that if HIV is not treated it turns into a serious disease named as Acquired
Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). It attacks the immune system of the human and infects
and reduces the white blood cells (Insight Start Study Group, 2015).
It is caused by contact with infected blood, semen, or vaginal fluids. It is mostly caused when
the persons have unprotected sex with the person who is infected from HIV. The virus can