The Impact of Homophobia and the HIV/AIDS Epidemic - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... exercise of due care when engaging in sexual activities such as the use of condoms. The Catholic Church urges sexual abstention or exclusively limiting sex to one's spouse.
HIV and the disease that it generated AIDS or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome had become a cause of concern after some 25 million people all over the world had died and an estimated 40 million had carried the disease since the virus was first identified in 1981 (World Bank 1). It had become so pandemic that WHO or World Health Organization expressed concern and determination to stop the plague at all cost. It was estimated in 2007 that 33.2 million people had been infected with the virus and that some 2.1 million people had died after suffering untold and painful organic malfunctions. Of these around 330,000 children had perished . WHO further declared that "AIDS remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide and the primary cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa" (UNAIDS, WHO 1,6). In North America in 2007, 1.3 million were estimated to be carrying within them the HIV virus while 31,000 were infected in that same year. Also in 2007 alone, 21,000 died (UNAIDS,WHO 7) . What is so alarming is the unusual rate of HIV infection in USA alone as the number of HIV cases escalates by leaps and bounds from year to year. In 1988, 100000 cases were reported. That doubled to 200,000 in 1990 and further balooned to 300,000 in 1992. By December 1992, AIDS had claimed 200,000 lives making AIDS the leading cause of death for men aged 25 to 44 and the fourth for women belonging to the same age group (Auerbach et al 1). What further distresses is that the 1.3 million North Americans carrying the HIV virus are certainly marching to their graves at the...
WHO further declared that “AIDS remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide and the primary cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa” (UNAIDS, WHO 1,6).  In North America in 2007, 1.3 million were estimated to be carrying within them the HIV virus while 31,000 were infected in that same year.  Also in 2007 alone, 21,000 died (UNAIDS,WHO 7) .  What is so alarming is the unusual rate of HIV infection in USA alone as the number of HIV cases escalates by leaps and bounds from year to year.  In 1988, 100000 cases were reported.  That doubled to 200,000 in 1990 and further balooned to 300,000 in 1992.   By December 1992, AIDS had claimed 200,000 lives making AIDS the leading cause of death for men aged 25 to 44  and the fourth for women belonging to the same age group (Auerbach et al 1).  What further distresses is that  the 1.3 million North Americans carrying the HIV virus are certainly marching to their graves at the most opportune time because there is yet no discovered  cure for the disease.                                                                                                                                                    3 What is even more bloodcurdling is that all these 1.3 million  AIDS victims are potentialsources of further AIDS transmission that will result to an elevation of the disease to an even higher pandemic level.                                                                                                                                                   While Ebola virus was confined only to the sub-Saharan countries of Zaire and Sudan and the Avian flu was by and large restricted to HongKong and its environs and while SARS was mostly circumscribed in China, AIDS and its virus HIV are spread out all over the four corners of the world excepting only Antarctica.  ...Download file to see next pagesRead More