Aids Research Paper

The Overlooked Epidemic The HIV/AIDS disease had become a prevalent problem across the globe. Several countries on various continents have become breeding grounds for the malignant disease. According to global statistics, each day over 1,500 children become infected with HIV (“HIV/AIDS Statistics”). This is an astounding number that will continue to rise unless great action is taken. People of all race/ethnicity have been affected in the United States, even the NBA superstar, Magic Johnson. In 2009, there was an estimated 476,732 people living with AIDS in the United States, and in 2010, there was an estimated 33,015 new AIDS diagnosis (“Fact Sheets”). The rate of contracting AIDS in the United States is rising each year, however, there has yet to grasp the attention of many Americans. Although AIDS is a widespread disease that infects many races and age groups in several different countries, there are trends that have become associated with the disease. As far as the United States is concerned, the South is the epicenter of AIDS. Of the thousands of Americans living with or contracting the HIV/AIDS virus in 2009 and 2010, the South represents almost half (“Fact Sheets”). The states affected the most in the South are: Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Eastern Texas. These nine states are nine out of the ten highest affected rates in the country. High poverty rates and social determinants in the South make the need for resources and action even more important (McAllaster, Carolyn). Several trends other than geographical relation have become know to be important, such as, age and sex. HIV is a great risk for youth in the United States. In 2009, youth were involved in 39% of all new cases. The main risk is for young men who are gay, bisexual or African American (“Fact Sheets”). People ages 50 and older infected with AIDS is on the rise due to the increase in new diagnoses and therapy that allows

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