HIV Epidemiology: Causes, Symptoms, Transmission, and Treatment (Research Paper Sample)

HIV Epidemiology
Author’s Name
Affiliation
HIV Epidemiology
Since the discovery of HIV in the 1980s, it has continued to be one of the most significant public health problems in many countries. Over the decades, over 1 million victims in the US alone have been infected, while an estimated 14 percent remain unaware of their status (Young et al.,2017). The high prevalence of HIV in some countries has caused a considerable burden on the people’s social-economic status.
* Description
* Causes of HIV
The disease is caused by a virus that weakens the human immune system by attacking CD4 T-cells. The virus embeds itself into the body’s DNA mechanism making it almost impossible to treat without damaging the cells. As the infection continues to kill and weaken the immune cells, opportunist diseases enter the body causing AIDs.
* Symptoms
HIV initially has flu-like symptoms, which may cause mild coughing and a feeling of sickness. After about two weeks, these symptoms may disappear, leaving the virus to continue damaging the immune system. Due to this effect, as mentioned above, an estimated 14 percent of people in the US are unaware that they harbor the virus (Young et al.,2017). However, an infected person may show symptoms belonging to opportunistic diseases such a