HIV, unlike all of the other diseases we have looked at so far, is a relatively new disease for humans. Its recent emergence has caused quite a bit of controversy, but a response to help combat the disease is growing. Today, much progress has been made in the fight against HIV, but much work is still to be done to eventually rid the United States, and the World, of HIV.

Several social factors have caused the HIV epidemic as we know it today. One large contributing component was the anti-gay sentiment when this disease was first documented. Its discovery came during a time in US history when there was a new, increased expression of homosexuality. The disease was often linked to men who had sex with men. This created a negative stereotype of the gay population. The disease was attributed solely to that lifestyle (on the contrary, it was/is also found in heterosexual people and infants, as well). This stereotyping led to shame in the gay community. People did not want to be associated with this disease. Because of this, they were hesitant to get tested or report the results of their tests to others for fear of exclusion. This further added to the spread of the HIV epidemic.

In addition, there was an overall lack of knowledge about how HIV spread. Some people believed, and continue to believe, that HIV can be spread through the air, contact, etc. as other diseases are. In reality, HIV is spread through contact with body fluids, most commonly during sex or sharing of IV needles.

The government did not help matters. The Reagan administration was slow to respond to the HIV/AIDS outbreak. They did not officially approach the issue until 1987. They also did not calm the fears of the populace over the spread of HIV/AIDS. In a public address, President Reagan openly admitted that he did not believe the science was certain behind the spread of AIDS. This further contributed to the public’s irrational fear about HIV/AIDS exposure.

There was also a moral component that contributed to the HIV epidemic. People believed that HIV was only spread through immoral sexual acts. They did not realize that people who never had sexual contact could get it, including children and hemophiliacs. This contributed to the stereotype of HIV being a homosexual disease and opened new discrimination against recently infected hemophiliacs or children.

Overall, these factors changed peoples’ lives forever. It caused people to lose jobs and be shunned by friends and family. People were afraid to be around those infected, which hurt business, education, and relationships. The stigma against HIV/AIDS caused people to shy away from testing and reporting. All of these factors contributed to the HIV/AIDS epidemic we still have today.

With that said, however, there have been some factors that have hampered the deadly virus. An increased awareness of HIV/AIDS, as a whole, has done much to educate the public and slow the spread of the disease. Safe sex practices have been taught, which has contributed greatly to prevention. Awareness of the dangers of sharing needles has also become more prevalent. Also, new testing procedures have led to greater detection of the disease, so those infected can get help.

The HIV epidemic has had several impacts on society in the United States. The HIV/AIDS epidemic has led to increased knowledge about the disease. People now mostly understand how it is spread; however some myths still exist. There is also now a greater acceptance for those with HIV/AIDS because people understand that it can infect anyone. The prevalence of the disease has made the public more accepting of those who have it. Unfortunately, the epidemic has fostered myths about HIV/AIDS. It is hard to get rid of this misinformation. Finally, the epidemic has caused top government officials to take a closer look and develop a plan on how to stop it. The Trump administration is looking to end the HIV epidemic in the next 10 years. Only time will tell if this will pay off.

There has been significant progress in fighting the HIV epidemic in the US. Overall, there is increased testing and awareness. The rat of infection has also decreased in the last 20 years, and the transmission rate has decreased by 89%.

Despite these great advances, there are still some challenges associated with the HIV epidemic. Many people do not even know that they are infected. According to the CDC, an estimated 161,000 people do not know that they have HIV. Out of this number, many do not want to get tested or do not know how testing works. Some do not keep up with their medication. Out of those prescribed medication for their HIV, only about 40% take them regularly. In addition, infected people in poverty may not have access to healthcare.

There has also been progress made in prevention and treatment of HIV. In addition to the aforementioned increase awareness of how HIV spreads, there are two relatively new preventative medications. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can be taken by someone who has a good chance of becoming infected. It lowers their risk of infection but must be taken on a regular basis to be effective. In addition, Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) can be taken by someone who has been exposed to an infected person. It consists of antiretroviral medications that must be taken within 72 hours of exposure.

There are several aspects to the current status of HIV in the US. In the realm of prevention, there has been a push for safe sex practices or abstinence. In addition, PrEP and PEP have done a lot to prevent the spread of HIV. To prevent HIV spread through drug use, clean needle clinics are being tested in order to see their effects on the HIV infection among injection drug users. In the realm of detection, HIV is mainly detected today through measuring CD4+ cells. Physicians look for numbers less than 200/mm3 in a blood sample to diagnose HIV. In addition, physicians look for prevalence of opportunistic infections, such as Kaposi’s sarcoma and Pneumocystis pneumonia. ELISA tests have also been used to diagnose HIV. Some tests can even be done at home!

In order to overcome the HIV epidemic, there must be a large commitment from the government and the people. The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health has come up with a general plan as to how the government can play a role in ending the HIV epidemic. According to their plan, areas where HIV/AIDS is prevalent need to be focused on. There needs to be an emphasis on early diagnosis. There needs to be access to early treatment. In addition, PrEP use will become more prevalent. Finally, the plan stresses early detection of new cases. On top of this, the public needs to get on board with ending the HIV epidemic.

HIV is a relatively new disease that we are just starting to understand. With time, money, and scientific research, we can learn a lot more. One day, hopefully soon, a cure will be found, signaling the beginning of the end for HIV.

Help Received: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2015/12/01/a-disturbing-new-glimpse-at-the-reagan-administrations-indifference-to-aids/?utm_term=.4cc921e160ca, https://aidsinfo.nih.gov/understanding-hiv-aids/fact-sheets/20/48/the-basics-of-hiv-prevention, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-hivaids-promise-during-state-of-the-union-2019-02-06/, https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/docs/factsheets/challenges-508.pdf, https://www.cdc.gov/winnablebattles/HIV/pdf/hiv_prev_progress.pdf, https://www.cdc.gov/HIV/basics/prep.html, https://www.cdc.gov/HIV/basics/pep.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_in_the_United_States, https://www.ucsfhealth.org/conditions/aids/diagnosis.html, Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for the United States article from classThesaurus.com, Spellcheck, https://a57.foxnews.com/images.foxnews.com/content/fox-news/health/2015/04/24/indiana-hiv-outbreak-hepatitis-c-epidemic-sparks-cdc-alert/_jcr_content/par/featured-media/media-1.img.jpg/0/0/1445088195116.jpg?ve=1 for image 1, https://static2.businessinsider.com/image/594a8850e592ed234a8b5774-1190-625/this-map-shows-the-area-of-the-us-thats-home-to-the-most-people-living-with-hiv.jpg for image 2, direcly copied words from the artifact handout, HIV documentary from class

Cholera is a quick and nasty killer. Because of the watery diarrhea it causes, those infected can die the same day they fall ill. Cholera has a history of being a deadly disease and is still with us today when public sanitation infrastructure breaks down.

Historically, colonization, trade, and urbanization have played huge roles in the spread of cholera. Cholera was believed to have begun in the Ganges river in India. Through colonization and trade, it was able to spread rapidly. During the First Pandemic (1816-1823), cholera spread via trade routes and ended up in several Asian countries, Africa, and even began to creep its way into the Middle East and towards Europe. The British began to colonize India, which led to cholera making its way to the British Iles, and from there to the rest of the world. Urban environments were also growing around the time of the Second Pandemic (1829-1851). This led to overcrowded conditions in cities. The public infrastructure could not hold that many people, so it began to fail. There was also an overall lack of hygiene. Old practices of dumping human waste into the streets was still being practiced. This ended up contaminating water supplies and spreading diseases, such as cholera, to the local populace. The close proximity in which people lived to one another also contributed to the swiftness in spreading cholera.

Eventually, some factors helped to limit the ability of cholera to spread. There was a movement to increase the sanitation of cities through public health departments and the building of modern water treatment facilities. Also, customs such as dumping waste into the streets were discontinued. The increase in public sanitation, overall, helped to stem the spread of cholera and decrease the instances of outbreaks.

The existence of multiple strains of a disease is often a scary thought. This can be the case with cholera. A more lethal strain of cholera is known as El Tor. The fact that it can live longer in water makes it a more deadly type of cholera. In addition, those who get it may have mild to no symptoms. This leads to increased chances for spreading the bacteria because those infected may not know that they are infected. Little to no preventative steps may be taken in this case.

There are several major contributors to the knowledge of cholera that we have today. One of those contributors is Dr. John Snow. Dr. Snow is known for his work in studying the 1854 epidemic of cholera in London. He was one of the few to understand that the water supply had something to do with the spread of cholera. He famously charted deaths from cholera in Soho and displayed them on a map. He recommended that the Broad St. pump be put out of service due to his research in the area. Also involved with this movement was Henry Whitehead, a priest in the Church of England. He knew the people who lived in the area well and was able to aid Dr. Snow in his statistics on deaths from cholera. He was also able to convince local leaders that the Broad St. pump needed to be put out of service. Filippo Pacini was an Italian scientist who was the first to identify the bacteria that caused cholera. He did not initially get the credit, however. The man who was credited with discovering the bacteria that causes cholera first was Robert Koch. He also independently found these bacteria and was credited as the first. All of these men helped to contribute to the rejection of the idea of miasmas, which was a huge scientific breakthrough at the time.

One modern day outbreak of cholera occurred in Haiti during 2010-2011. This outbreak followed the major earthquake in 2010. The El Tor strain was identified as the cause. Eventually, the El Tor was traced back to having come from Nepalese aid workers, who came after the earthquake to help and did not know they were infected. These aid workers contaminated a local water supply, which began the outbreak.

Today, the cholera outbreak has died down, though there still exist a decent number of cases. According to the Ministry of Health in Haiti, there were 6760 cases of cholera in 2017. Several new preventative measures have been taken in order to reduce the number of cases in Haiti and worldwide. An oral cholera vaccine has been given out. Toilets and latrines are being built. More aid clinics are built and serve those who are ill. Finally, new water filtration methods are being used, such as using a sari.

The largest item that remains to be done in helping countries particularly effected by cholera is a comprehensive clean up, as well, as a rebuilding of their sanitation infrastructure. These measures would reduce the incidence of cholera dramatically.

Yemen is also a nation particularly effected by cholera at this time. It is a war-torn country, and their public infrastructure is destroyed. This has led to unsanitary conditions, particularly unsanitary water. Unsanitary water directly results in the cholera outbreaks that are ravishing the country. The people of Yemen are also already malnourished, which contributes to an even greater death toll caused by cholera. Much needs to be done to aid this country and others like it in order to end cholera.

Cholera has and will continue to plague humankind as long as unsanitary conditions still exist. It is our duty to help countries develop the correct infrastructure in order to ease the suffering of those who are ill.

Help Received:

Cholera ppt from Canvas, http://www.ijdh.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Haiti-Cholera_Lancet-June-2017.pdf, Spellcheck, https://lewebpedagogique.com/asphodele/files/2013/01/cholera.jpg for image 1, https://media4.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2017_30/2087151/170728-cholera-yemen-mc-11-46_7507baa34ffe3c6ea05285098176eb69.nbcnews-ux-1024-900.jpg for image 2