HIV/AIDS

Anna Bell
Hines
What is HIV?
Human Immunodeficiency Virus spreads through semen, blood,
vaginal fluids, and breast milk, destroying the bodys immune system
and leading to an immunocompromised state referred to as AIDS
(Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).
 Mechanisms of
HIV
Affects the body by destroying T-Cells
Three stages to HIV
1. Acute Infection: flu-like systems
within a few weeks of exposure
2. Clinical Latency: an HIV+ positive
person will not display symptoms,
but can still pass the disease onto
others. This stage can last for years.
3. AIDS: the immune system is severely
compromised and the patient will
eventually die of an opportunistic
infection like PCP.
 Who is at risk for
HIV?
Men who have sex with men,
intravenous drug users, women,
ethnic minorities, young people, the
elderly, and individuals that have
been through the criminal justice
system are more at risk for
contracting HIV.
However, the CDC recommends
that EVERYONE get tested at some
point in their lives.
 Know Your
Status
SHACS
Planned Parenthood
https://locator.aids.gov
Text Zip Code to KNOWIT (566948)
A Note on the Window Period
Most HIV tests look for HIV antibodies, but it can
take up to three months after infection these
antibodies to develop. Though undetectable, HIV
can still be transmitted to others during this time.
Myths about
Contraction
 Ignorance and
US Law
DALLAS A homeless man who
spit in the mouth and eye of a
police officer and then taunted
him, saying he was H.I.V.
positive, was sentenced to 35
years in prison on Wednesday for
harassing a public servant with a
deadly weapon: his saliva.
- GRETEL C. KOVACH, the
New York Times (May 2008)
History of HIV
Before the 1980s, HIV, while present was rare and remained undiagnosed. It
is believed that the virus was originally transferred from chimpanzees in in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo
In US during the early 1980s, doctors began to see cases of gay men dying of
the extremely rare Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.
By the mid 1980s, GRID becomes AIDS when it is determined that that
heterosexuals, needle users, and children exposed to blood or breast milk
could also contract the disease.
By the late 1980s early retroviral drugs are being used to treat HIV
By the mid 1990s AIDS is the leading cause of death for all Americans ages
25 to 44.
By the early 2000s, HIV is leading cause of death worldwide among those
aged 15-59.
Late 2000s: since 2005, deaths related to AIDS have declined by almost 30%
and PrEP is deemed effective in reducing spread of HIV.
HIV/AIDS
Around the World
 What society judged was not
the severity of the disease but
the social acceptability of the
individuals affected with it.
- Randy Shilts, And the Band Played
On: Politics, People, and the AIDS
Epidemic
 Jerry Falwell, Ronald Reagan, and
the Moral Majority
HIVs association with homosexuality and drug use
led to unnecessary stigma and an uptick of hate
crimes
Jerry Falwell appeared on the television program
AIDS: The Anatomy of a Crisis and stated that when
you violate moral, health, and hygiene laws, you
reap the whirlwind. You cannot shake your first in
Gods face and get away with it.
Ronald Reagan chooses not to comment on
HIV/AIDS until the end of his second term. By this
time 36,000 Americans had been diagnosed with
AIDS and 20,000 had died.
LGBT
Reactions
 Stigma:
Know your rights!
People with HIV are protected by
the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Employment discrimination,
discrimination in public
accommodations, and housing
discrimination is illegal.
It is illegal for healthcare providers
to deny treatment or refer a
patient to another doctor on
account of HIV status.
 Prevention strategies for HIV-
Individuals
AIDS can be prevented using condoms and anti viral drugs.
If a HIV- person plans on having sexual relations with an
HIV+ person, the negative partner may want to consider
PrEP
Short for pre-exposure prophylaxis, PrEP can
decrease a persons risk of contracting HIV by 90%
A previously HIV- person that was exposed to HIV can
begin taking PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) as soon as
possible as an emergency means of preventing virus
transmission.
The best way to be responsible about HIV is to be aware
and open about your HIV status before pursuing a sexual
relationship.
 Treatment for HIV+ Individuals and Recent
Medical Breakthroughs
ART (Antiretroviral Therapy) prevent the
virus from copying reducing a patients
internal viral load.
While there is no cure, ART prevents HIV
from developing into AIDS, allowing for
many HIV+ people to live normal life
spans.
Timothy Brown became the only known
person to be cured of HIV in 2012.
Progress is being made on an HIV
vaccine by utilizing the common cold
virus.
 Works Cited
Kovach, Gretel C. "Prison for Man With H.I.V. Who Spit on a Police Officer." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 May 2008. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/us/16spit.html>.
"HIV-Specific Criminal Laws." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18 Mar. 2015. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.
<http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/policies/law/states/exposure.html>.
White, Allen. "Reagan's AIDS Legacy / Silence Equals Death." SFGate. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.
<http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/Reagan-s-AIDS-Legacy-Silence-equals-death-2751030.php>.
"Who Is at Risk for HIV Infection and Which Populations Are Most Affected?" Who Is at Risk for HIV Infection and Which Populations Are Most Affected? | National Institute
on Drug Abuse (NIDA). N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.
<https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/hivaids/who-risk-hiv-infection-which-populations-are-most-affected>.
"PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS." Protecting the Rights of Persons Living with HIV/AIDS. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.
<https://www.ada.gov/hiv/ada_hiv_brochure.html>.
Widewalls. "Art in America : Before and After AIDS Crisis." WideWalls. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2016. <http://www.widewalls.ch/art-aids-hiv-america/>.
"About HIV/AIDS." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 21 Sept. 2016. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.
<http://www.cdc.gov/actagainstaids/basics/whatishiv.html>
AIDS Myths and Misunderstandings." Introduction. International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, 21 Apr. 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.
<http://www.aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/158>
"History of HIV and AIDS Overview." AVERT. AVERT, 10 Aug. 2016. Web. 26 Oct. 2016. <http://www.avert.org/professionals/history-hiv-aids/overview>
"HIV Protection and Prevention | PrEPPEP." Greater Than AIDS. Greater Than AIDS, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.
<http://www.greaterthan.org/campaigns/i-got-tested/prep-pep/>
Shilts, Randy. And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic. New York: St. Martin's, 1987. Print.
Questions?