African American Women and Hiv/Aids
African American Women and HIV/AIDS
Tanya Waller
HCS/455
October 20, 2011
Jennifer Hilkert
African American Women and HIV/AIDS
In the past 10 years, there has been an enormous stride put forth in trying to detect, prevent, and treat HIV/AIDS. In spite of these efforts there are still economic, political, scientific, and social barriers that remain. Worldwide there has been about 60 million individuals who has become infected with HIV/AIDS in last two decades after the HIV/AIDS epidemic began, plus 20 million who are already deceased. About 45.5% of the adult population consist of women living with HIV/AIDS with an excessively amount of young individuals bearing the burden of the widespread disease. There is a portion of these women who have an open door to antiretroviral treatment, which is provided through intervention and prevention programs. Unfortunately, there is a huge portion of women and girls infected and are not receiving treatment, mainly because they are not aware of being infected (The Kaiser Family Foundation, n.d.). The increasingly epidemic of HIV/AIDS has taken a toll on African American women and girls in the U. S. There are about 40,000 new infection cases every year with 1,200,000 individuals living with HIV/AIDS worldwide 300,000 which are women. Unfortunately, there is a huge portion of African American women and girls who are infected and are not receiving treatment, mainly because they are not aware of being infected (The Kaiser Family Foundation, 2007). Another main factor that has contributed to women and girls contacting HIV/AIDS is in the way the disease is being transmitted. Although the disease has always been transmitted primarily by sex, recent most submissions are through heterosexual activities. According to a surveillance report conducted by Dr. Harold Jaffe heterosexual activities account for 43% of the diagnoses in 2005, heterosexual transmission has risen from 3% in 1985 to 31% in 2005. There are
Tanya Waller
HCS/455
October 20, 2011
Jennifer Hilkert
African American Women and HIV/AIDS
In the past 10 years, there has been an enormous stride put forth in trying to detect, prevent, and treat HIV/AIDS. In spite of these efforts there are still economic, political, scientific, and social barriers that remain. Worldwide there has been about 60 million individuals who has become infected with HIV/AIDS in last two decades after the HIV/AIDS epidemic began, plus 20 million who are already deceased. About 45.5% of the adult population consist of women living with HIV/AIDS with an excessively amount of young individuals bearing the burden of the widespread disease. There is a portion of these women who have an open door to antiretroviral treatment, which is provided through intervention and prevention programs. Unfortunately, there is a huge portion of women and girls infected and are not receiving treatment, mainly because they are not aware of being infected (The Kaiser Family Foundation, n.d.). The increasingly epidemic of HIV/AIDS has taken a toll on African American women and girls in the U. S. There are about 40,000 new infection cases every year with 1,200,000 individuals living with HIV/AIDS worldwide 300,000 which are women. Unfortunately, there is a huge portion of African American women and girls who are infected and are not receiving treatment, mainly because they are not aware of being infected (The Kaiser Family Foundation, 2007). Another main factor that has contributed to women and girls contacting HIV/AIDS is in the way the disease is being transmitted. Although the disease has always been transmitted primarily by sex, recent most submissions are through heterosexual activities. According to a surveillance report conducted by Dr. Harold Jaffe heterosexual activities account for 43% of the diagnoses in 2005, heterosexual transmission has risen from 3% in 1985 to 31% in 2005. There are
References: Jaffe, H. (2003). CDC.HIV/AIDS in America Today Presentation. Retrieved from http://www.kaiseredu.org/Tutorials-and-Presentations/Women-and-HIV-in-the-US.aspx The Kasier Family Foundation . (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.kaiseredu.org/Topics/HIV_AIDS.aspx The Kaiser Family Foundation . (2007). Retrieved October 20, 2011 from http://www.kff.org/hivaids/7660.cfm