Benjamin, Thomas, Phillip, Bryn 1

Benjamin, Thomas, Phillip, Bryn

Mrs. Harrell

English II Honors

October 9, 2017

HIV/AIDS Awareness

There are approximately 36.7 million people with HIV/AIDS and 1.8 million of them are

children under 15. Everyday more and more people are diagnosed with such a grim disease.

Most people do not take this disease as serious as they should until it happens to a loved one or

even themselves. HIV/AIDS deserves more awareness because teens and adults are at an ever

increasing rate to contract these diseases, which can lead to major health issues in the future.

HIV/AIDS is a virus that attacks the defense/immune system and targets a white blood

cell called T-helper cells and makes copies of itself in them. If left unchecked, in 10-15 years it

could severely damage the immune system to the point of being unoperational. Aids is not a

virus, but a set of symptoms that are directly caused by HIV and has different symptoms

depending on the stage at which you are at. Stage 1 symptoms can include fever, body rash, sore

throat, swollen glands, headache, upset stomach, joint aches and pains, and muscle pain. In stage

2 the symptoms will appear to alleviate with many people claiming to feel better; during this

stage is when a lot of the damage to your immune system happens. Stage 3 symptoms include

weight loss, chronic diarrhea, night sweats, fever, persistent cough, mouth and skin problems,

regular infections, serious illnesses and diseases. HIV/Aids cannot be cured, only treated,

however there are also possible side effects of the treatment and/or medicine.
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HIV can be transmitted through blood, semen and pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids/anal

mucous, vaginal fluids, and breast milk. They enter through any openings of the skin and/or are

injected into the bloodstream. These fluids are transported through sex (vaginal, anal, and/or

oral) with someone who has HIV. Anal sex is the most unsafe, as the anal lining is more delicate

than the vagina and more easily damaged. Having multiple partners also increases the risk of

getting this disease. Sharing needles, syringes, and other things used for preparing and injecting

drugs with someone who has HIV is a very easy way to spread this. It can also be transmitted by

a mother with HIV breastfeeding and through pregnancy and birth. The percentage of this

happening is 15%-45% if HIV treatment is not taken. Receiving blood transfusions, blood

products, and/or organ transplants that have been contaminated by HIV can happen, however this

risk is relatively low as blood products are usually tested for HIV first.

While this can be a horrific disease, there are ways to prevent contracting this. There is a

four step plan to help keep away from this disease. Know: You should know about the dangers of

the disease and about how it can be avoided. The second is to understand: Understand that even

upon giving it your best efforts, you can still contract HIV/AIDS. The third step is to get tested:

You and your partner (if you have one) need to get tested together. If you have it and you have

not been tested, you can spread it to your partners without your or their knowledge, also make

sure to ask your partners about their results. Finally, ALWAYS use protection unless trying to

conceive a child; never share needles, and dont breastfeed if you have the disease. Guaranteed,

if you follow these steps, you can stay safe from a dangerous disease.

In order for you or a loved one to prevent catching a life changing disease, awareness

should no longer be ignored. Everyday peoples lives are being ruined by this disease. People all
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over the world are infected with this devastating disease and one action could change your life

forever. It is our job to spread awareness and help stop HIV/Aids, with us as one united front,

together we can change the world.

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Claim:

HIV/Aids deserve more awareness because teens and adults are at an ever increasing rate to

contract these diseases, which can lead to major health issues in the future.

Works Cited

Top 10 Ways To Raise HIV/AIDS Awareness. Global Concerns Classroom, 2015,

gcc.concernusa.org/health/top-10-hivaids-awareness/.

https://gcc.concernusa.org/health/top-10-hivaids-awareness/

What Are HIV and AIDS? AVERT, 30 June 2017,

www.avert.org/about-hiv-aids/what-hiv-aids.

Find out How to Protect Yourself. Www.HelpStopTheVirus.com,

www.helpstopthevirus.com/hiv-prevention?utm_medium.

http://ugandajournalistsresourcecentre.com/uganda-hivaids-country-progress-report-201516/

https://www.weebly.com/editor/main.php