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HIV and AIDS

 

            
             Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) hijacks the natural defense system of body, and can lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, or AIDS (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Without the defense system, the body is not able to fight disease. In this paper, eradication of HIV will be discussed, along with the health determinants, and relation of these factors to the development of AIDS. The epidemiological triangle to HIV/AIDS will also be discussed. Then this paper will also focus on the responsibilities of community health nurse regarding primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of this disease. .
             Demographics .
             HIV mainly transmits via bodily fluids such as blood, vaginal fluid, human milk, and semen. Exchange of used needles by intravenous drug users, blood transfusions, unsafe sex, needles used for tattoos and body piercing are also modes of transmission of HIV/AIDS. HIV can also be transmitted from an HIV infected mother to newborn, through child birth and breast milk. Initially blood transfusions were measured as the prominent source of transmission; however, currently transmission of HIV/AIDS by blood transfusions are infrequent since the donors are screened for HIV. .
             According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over 1.2 million individuals are suffering with HIV/AIDS in the United States, and 14% of them are not aware that they are infected. "Bisexual, gay, and other men who have sex with men, particularly young African American men, are most seriously affected by HIV." (CDC, 2014). HIV infection leads to a drop in the CD4+T Cells, which are the chief infection combatants for the immune system (Weinberg & Kovarik, 2010). Mononucleosis-like, or flu are the beginning symptoms, and an infected person can suffer with numerous opportunistic infections (Dieffenbach, & Fauci, 2011). The utmost general indicators are diarrhea that can last for more than a week, loss of memory, dry cough, depression, severe lassitude, and rapid loss of weight, discolored patches under the skin or in oral cavity, swelling of lymph glands, and a recurrent fever (Weinberg, et al.


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