Sub Saharan Africa Research Paper

HIV/AIDS is one of the deadliest diseases in the world. Although millions of people are afflicted with the disease throughout the world, this pandemic affects the continent of Africa the most by far. In Africa, the disease is increasing at an alarming rate. Even though increased effort is put in around the world to prevent AIDS, this widespread disease has increased significantly in the past decade. The toxic ailment continues to spread with a disturbing force and it has taken a long time to finally slow it down. In the late 2000’s, approximately 40 million people around the world were living with AIDS or the HIV infection, a significant rise from the 35 million diagnosed with AIDS in 2001 (Bertozzi). Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most impacted by the HIV virus; however, the disease is now growing and spreading into different continents such as Asia and countries in Eastern Europe as well as other parts of Africa.
So what exactly is HIV/AIDS? HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus which can eventually lead to the
HIV is not a disease obtained through one’s genetics, however it is primarily a sexually transmitted disease that attacks the body’s immune system. In certain regions of Africa, men are known to have an extensive sexual network with multiple sexual partners which helps spread the disease. HIV occurs due to behavior like this and the environment as opposed to a congenital disease, which is inherited. Also, HIV is permanent and lasting, there are treatments for the disease but HIV will always be in the body. In the early 1980’s it was popular belief that HIV in the United States originated from homosexuals, hemophiliacs and drug users. This belief was proved wrong and bluntly ignorant to scientists who found that the HIV/AIDS virus came from a type of