Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a disease caused by the HIV that infects the body’s immune system. AIDS is among the biggest causes of death in the world today (Gordon 2011). The disease is transmitted through unprotected sex. The disease is also transmitted through other means that enable the mixture of contaminated bodily fluids and blood. They include; contaminated blood transfusions, childbirth, and breastfeeding among many others. Not all bodily fluids transmit the HIV. Fluids such as tears and saliva do not transmit the disease. The virus weakens the body’s immune system and leaves one vulnerable to opportunistic infection. They may lead to severe illness and even death because the body’s immune system is weak. HIV/AIDS has affected the modern society both economically and socially.
One of the main concerns about HIV in the modern society is the stigma associated with people living with the disease. People living with the virus have been facing stigmatization in different parts of the world. First, the people living with the virus are to have a deadly disease that could be easily transmitted. This has led to people avoiding people living with the virus in fear of being infected. Lack of education about the disease has led to stigmatization. It is most common in areas with low education level. The other stigma that people experience is symbolic. This is whereby people associate people living with are with certain sexual characteristics. This is common in places where people are religious and view sexual activities as sin. The society alienates people living with the virus and terms them as perverts. The society alienates people who are close to people living with the HIV (Agarwal, Pedro de Araujo 2012). Most victims with this type of stigma include young people who associate with other people in the society because relatives have the virus. The stigma associated with HIV has led to development fear of HIV tests and hence the continued spread of the virus.
The virus has affected many societies economically. First, the virus is most common among the youth who are the backbone of many societies. The high rate of sexual irresponsibility among the youth has led to the spread of the virus amongst them. This takes away the energetic workforce of a community thus reduces the financial output of the society. Instead of these youths generating funds for an economy, they spend funds on drugs and other facilities to prolong their lives. Many third world countries spend a fortune in providing free anti-retroviral drugs for people living with the disease. Some companies have forced their employees to have an HIV test before they fear that if the employees are HIV positive their productivity will reduce (Barac, Otter 2001). This has led to stigmatization of HIV positive patients in these areas.
The HIV/AIDS issue has affected many parts of the world. The main causes of the spread of HIV are poverty and illiteracy. HIV is most common in areas that are poverty-stricken and have high levels of illiteracy. People in these societies lack information on how to protect themselves from the AIDS virus, which has led to the spread of the virus in these societies. Poverty has also led to commercial sex among young women leading to the spread of the virus (Adam Gordon, 2011). The battle to curb the spread of the virus should be begin with providing education on HIV. Empowering people in a community will also curb the spread of the disease.
References
Agarwal S., Pedro de Araujo, (2012) "On the association between HIV knowledge and unsafe sexual behaviour in India", International Journal of Development Issues, Vol. 11 Iss: 3, pp.227 - 234
Barac K., Otter J., (2001) "The financial accountability of HIV/AIDS", Meditari Accountancy Research, Vol. 9 Iss: 1, pp.1 – 32
Gordon A., (2011) "The uses and limits of visionary scenarios: learning from the African experience", foresight, Vol. 13 Iss: 4, pp.64 - 81
