Persons Living with HIV/AIDS - Assignment Example

Persons living with HIV/AIDS The serpent of AIDS continues to swallow the life of millions of humans as it has been doing so during the past almost three decades. Classified as one of the sexually transmitted diseases, the effects of AIDS on the lives of humans are more profound as compared to other illnesses. The social stigma associated with this disease adds to the misery of affected individuals by affecting their social relations, in addition to affecting their physical health. A number of variables like age, gender, race, income and education make this population vulnerable to a number of problems which a normal person never faces in society.

Different problems related to various age groups are seen in individuals infected by HIV. Young men and women of reproductive age suffer from sexual problems and find it difficult to get satisfaction, once they are aware of the fact that they have AIDS. As opposed to the common understanding that, use of contraception methods like condoms make the act of sexual intimacy ‘safe’, the fact is that there always lies a grey area between the ‘safe’ and ‘unsafe’ sex. HIV infected youth therefore cannot get as much sexual satisfaction as a healthy individual if they are aware of the reality that no matter what protective measures they take, they always carry the risk of transmission of disease to their healthy partners (Klitzman, 2005).

Children infected with HIV are a challenge for clinicians, since they manifest the disease in a number of ways, and are prone to a number of ailments, which normal children never suffer from. Individuals of older age with immune system which is already deteriorating as a natural age related phenomenon may suffer from chronic and recurrent health problems. Recently, a marked increase in the number of individuals suffering from AIDS in the 50-Plus age group is seen (Stolley, 2009). Therefore, it is likely that more individuals of 50-plus age group will be seen in hospitals suffering from AIDS in future.

In most cultures of the world, women are more vulnerable economically, socially, sexually and physically. Women suffering from AIDS who depend on men for economic support are more likely to be impoverished which affects their ability to stay healthy due to lack of adequate medical care, shelter and food. Socially, women often get married to older men who already have had multiple sexual partners, thereby increasing the likelihood of the women getting infected. Physically speaking, a lot of women are subjected to trafficking, forced prostitution, rape and incest which increase their chances of getting AIDS.

A very strong relationship exists between women, violence and HIV. Women who are subjected to physical or sexual abuse are more likely to have suffered a sexually transmitted disease during their lifetime (Shaw, 2003).Generally speaking, minorities are more vulnerable as compared to majority racial groups. One reason may be that majority populations have better chances of success in matters of job and education, which in turn greatly affects a person’s vulnerability to AIDS. Asian Americans and American Indians form two racial groups which are underrepresented in AIDS cases in proportion to their number in the total U.

S population (Cuéllar, 2000). Therefore it can be inferred that the statistical figures are not true representatives of the real situation of AIDS in terms of racial distributions. Education is one of the key factors in promoting social well-being and poverty reduction. There is substantial evidence to prove that the reproductive life of individuals is profoundly affected by education. Educated women are more likely to manage their life during childbearing age, have fewer and healthier babies, and have better earning potential thereby avoiding commercial sex (World Bank, 2002).

Therefore, it can be inferred that educated groups are less vulnerable to AIDS, as compared to uneducated groups. ReferencesCuéllar, I., & Paniagua, F. A. (2000). Handbook of multicultural mental health: Assessment and treatment of diverse populations. San Diego [u.a.: Academic Press, p270.Klitzman, R., & Bayer, R. (2005). Mortal secrets: Truth and lies in the age of AIDS. Baltimore, Md: Johns Hopkins University Press, p125.Stolley, K. S., & Glass, J. E. (2009). HIV/AIDS. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood Press, p129.Shaw, J. K.

, & Mahoney, E. A. (2003). HIV/AIDS nursing secrets. Philadelphia: Hanley & Belfus, p125-127.World Bank. (2002). Education and HIV/AIDS: A window of hope. Washington, DC: World Bank, p3-4.