AIDS cases were first identified in 1981,in the United States. Researchers have traced cases back to 1959. There are millions of diagnosed cases worldwide, but there is no cure (Drotman 163). There are about a million people in the United States who are currently infected with HIV (HIV/AIDS 1). It infects the population heavily in some areas of the country and very lightly in other areas. No race, sex, social class, or age is immune (AIDS Understand

AIDS deaths has dropped significantly for the first time since the epidemic began in the early 1980's.They fell 13 percent in the first six months of 1996, to 22,000 people, down from 24,900 deaths in the same period a year earlier, reported by the Centers for Disease Control. The number of people diagnosed with AIDS still continues to grow, but the growth rate is slowing. From 1995 to 1996 the growth rate was less than 2%. The growth rate from 1993 to 1994 was 5%. First signs of drop in deaths of AIDS victims came in January 1997, when New York City reported a 30 percent drop in the number of Aids deaths in 1996. The Center for Disease Control credits better treatments, new drugs, and better access to treatment through state and federal programs. Some think that the decline is unfortunately only a standstill, because for some patients the new drugs are not effective(Meyer A1).

Scientists are not sure how, when, or where the AIDS virus originated. Researchers have shown that HIV-1 and HIV-2 are more closely related to simian immunodeficiency viruses than to each other. Simian immunodeficiency viruses infect monkeys. It has been suggested that HIV evolved from viruses that originally infected monkeys in Africa. It was somehow transmitted to people. There are many arguments to this theory. One is that HIV has only been found in human beings. It has never been isolated from any other animal species. Scientists believe The infection became widespread after significant social changes took place in Africa. Somewhere around the 1960's and the 1970's. HIV was isolated as being the cause of AIDS in 1983, and 1984. Tests were then developed to detect the virus. These tests have been used to analyze stored tissues from people who had undetermined deaths in the 60's and the 70's. Scientists found that some of these people died from AIDS. During the 1990's an estimated one million people in the U.S. had the HIV infection or AIDS. There are millions more throughout the world(Drotman 165).

The second way is through direct contact with infected blood. There are a couple ways of getting it through direct contact with infected blood. One way is by sharing a hypodermic needle with someone who is infected. A tiny drop of infected blood stays inside the needle and syringe. So if a person uses it he or she is actually shooting the infected blood directly into his or her bloodstream. That little droplet of infected blood is enough to give you HIV. Sharing needles for skin-popping can spread HIV in the same way. This way a person is more likely to get infections such as abscesses. A person can also get HIV from sharing other drug "works" with someone who is infected. Containers or cookers such as spoons or bottle caps, crackpipes, cotton, or water for dissolving drugs or rinsing syringes are some of the "works." It doesn't matter what a person is shooting in the needle-heroin, cocaine, speed, steroids, insulin, or any other drug. If a person shares a needle or "works" with someone who has HIV, he or she could get infected too(Johnson 20). Another way is through a blood transfusion. Chances of getting HIV through a blood transfusion in the U.S. are now very low, but still possible. Testing began in 1985, of all blood and plasma that is donated. The tests that doctors use are over 99% accurate. Blood is destroyed if signs of the virus show up in the donated blood. Therefore, it is almost impossible to get infected through a blood transfusion. Before 1985, some people became infected through infected blood and certain blood products. In the U.S. every piece of equipment used to draw blood is brand new. It is only used once and then it is destroyed. Therefore it is impossible for a donor to get HIV from giving plasma or blood(HIV/AIDS 2).

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