Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( Hiv ) - 1416 Words

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has been scouring the planet for over three decades. It has a powerful ability to deteriorate a human body in a small length of time. This deadly virus attacks the human body’s immune system and can only survive in the human as its host. The virus is only contracted through body fluid exchange, for example, vaginal fluid, semen, intravenous drug users, and sexual intercourse is the most common way of contracting it. The virus attacks the T cells (type of white blood cell) which are important for our fight against infection and replicates itself using our cells as a moderator for their existence. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is classified as a syndrome because it is a complex illness with a†¦show more content†¦At the end of 2011, the reported new cases of the virus had confirmed diagnoses and give a total figure of around 34 million globally. HIV virus has ascended over the years and is still on the rise causing concern for the welfare of society worldwide, although this is said to be stabilising due to the number of people accessing anti-retroviral treatment worldwide. AIDS (the final stage of HIV) has taken the lives of over 30 million people globally from the outbreak of the first epidemic in the early 1980’s. (Avert.org, 2014 worldwide HIV and AIDS statistics). In 2004, an estimated 42,000 people in the United Kingdom (UK) had accessed medical treatment and care . The figures identified in 2011 proves an increase in the number of diagnosis as the figure doubles at a staggering 81,000 cases. (Nat.org.uk, 2014) This is just in the UK alone which is alarming to the pandemic as the UK has access to a range of exemplary health care and a growing health system with the affordability to fund medical advances. The incidence and prevalence of HIV seems to be precarious in different parts of the globe. Societal changes influencing the spread of HIV The speeding advancement of transmission and contraction of HIV is predominantly down to the way our society works. There are many factors which can influence the increase in statistics, but this depends on where in the world the