HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS is an acronym that stands for human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome. HIV is a retrovirus and AIDS is the disease a human experiences when the HIV virus reaches an advanced stage. There are two species of HIV that infect humans: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is more easily transmitted than HIV-2 and is the cause of the majority of HIV infections worldwide.

The HIV virus weakens the immune system of its host to a point in which individuals may acquire certain infections, such as tuberculosis, cryptococcal meningitis, and severe pneumonias, which are termed opportunistic infections. These opportunistic infections are life threatening and cause death in the majority of AIDS patients who don't have access to treatment. For many years in many parts of the world and for millions of people still today, acquiring HIV/AIDS translates into death a few years later.

The first AIDS cases were identified in the United States in 1981, followed by those in Uganda the next year. Early on, the condition was also nicknamed “slim disease” because advanced HIV infection causes severe bodily wasting. The early stages of the epidemic were characterized by baseless finger pointing in an attempt to identify particular individuals, communities, cultures, and lifestyles as responsible for the spread of HIV. Haitians, homosexuals, and Africans received the largest burden of unfounded blame.

The current estimates are that 33.2 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. It is believed that the number of new infections peaked in the late 1990s, yet in 2007, there were still 6,800 new HIV infections each day, totaling 2.5 million new infections during the past year. HIV/AIDS is among the leading causes of death worldwide and the number one cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa, a region that has disproportionately borne the burden of the epidemic. Cases have been reported in all regions of the world, but more than 95#x0025; of those living with HIV/AIDS are in low-and middle-income countries. Beyond Africa, the second-most-affected region is the Caribbean, followed by growing concern in parts of Eastern Europe and Asia.

Social Causation of Disease

HIV/AIDS can be transmitted through any of the following modes: sexual transmission (e.g., unprotected oral, anal, or genital contact with another person's infected sexual secretions), shared injection drug use paraphernalia, mother to child transmission, and blood-to-blood contact. These modes of HIV transmission are well known and lead to the conclusion that HIV/AIDS is entirely biologically preventable. Yet both epidemiological and sociological accounts have drawn attention to the social factors that make transmission of the disease more likely in particular communities given their social location. Clearly there are important social, economic, and political factors to take into account when understanding this condition, its prevalence, as well as its transmission and treatment. Poor and marginalized people are more likely to contract and die from the disease than those with access to material resources. Gender discrimination, poverty, and political repression are all examples of social factors that can disadvantage certain populations and create increased vulnerability to the disease.

Relationship to Gender

Gender is an important social causation to be taken into account when considering HIV/AIDS. Globally, women are 50#x0025; of all adults living with HIV/AIDS, and in sub-Saharan Africa they make up 61#x0025; of all people living with HIV/AIDS. There are several reasons for this. One is that women are biologically more susceptible to HIV infection than men due to their anatomy. Yet an even greater gender factor is gender inequalities in social and economic status. These inequalities may increase the likelihood that women will contract the virus because they may lack the power to refuse sex. Additionally, sexual violence against women, such as rape or other forms of sexual abuse, may also increase their vulnerability to acquiring HIV/AIDS, especially in areas where the epidemic already has a high prevalence in the general population.

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