Growing Risk of HIV in the US
Human Immunodeficiency Virus has been a world epidemic since the 1980s. HIV has claimed millions of lives and has affected much of the population. Person living with HIV are not merely living with the infection but stigma as well.
Based on the report cited in CDC, factors considered for the spread of HIV in the United States are identified as less abstinence, unprotected sex, and having multiple partners. The vulnerable group are the men having sex with men or MSM, sex workers, and 90% of children born from mothers with HIV.
There is an estimated of an average 50,000 cases annually since HIV broke out in the United States. It is categorized into groups from ethnicity, age group, and behaviour. Among this, Men having sex with men are the most vulnerable.
The study of HIV has been sprouting constantly where scientists are finding a breakthrough in finding a cure, according to CATIE. However, HIV is also evolving which lead the researcher to develop more tools in preventing it.
Although, the organization were able to conclude that getting tested is still the best option and detecting it late may be lethal. Before, detecting HIV may take up to 6 months from exposure but today, they have developed a tool to shorten the window period and instead made it only to 3 months.
In 1984, Gaétan Dugas died of complication of opportunistic diseases caused by HIV. In US history, he was known to have brought the American Epidemic infecting several to hundreds of men. New York Times have published in an article that he was tagged as "The Man Who Gave Us AIDS."
AIDS may result if HIV is left untreated or when it's detected late. The basic tool that can be used to prevent the wide spread is through awareness and education of HIV.
