A Death Gives AIDS A Face: Documentary Summary

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a deadly virus that leads to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) by destroying CD4 T cells that are essential for the immune system to work efficiently. The Age of AIDS documentary highlighted important issues and concerns during its initial breakthrough. Factors such as socioeconomic status, skills, culture, beliefs, attitude, values, religion and gender all played an affect on the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS throughout the world. Furthermore, scientists, public health members and eventually the government took interventions to reduce the spread of HIV in developing countries. To begin, the first segment of the documentary, “A Deadly New Age,” discussed the outbreak of the disease in the 1980’s. Doctors and public health members believed it was a disease that affected only the homosexual male population hence identifying it as GRID, or gay-related immune deficiency or gay syndrome in 1982. It was fascinating to see the step-by-step thorough investigation and understanding of
This lack of acknowledgment led the community to believe the CDC was not doing anything to for the population that was being affected. It was surprising to see how it was not until a famous person, Rock Hudson, was diagnosed with AIDS that the problem came into limelight. Due to the stigmatization that followed the disease, individuals were hesitant of getting tested. There was a lot of ignorance regarding AIDS/HIV; the public started wearing rubber gloves in hope to prevent the disease. Students that were hemophiliac were forced to leave schools. Rather than the government assuring that the disease could not be spread through casual contact it did the contrary. The public health department addressed the community of the ways it could be