Essay, Research Paper: Aids

AIDS The United Nations AIDS organization released disturbing estimatesThursday of the seemingly relentless expansion of the HIV pandemic. At a time when many Americans are increasingly optimistic thatstate-of-the-art drug therapy might eliminate the virus, HIV is taking aheavy toll worldwide. According to the agency, every minute of every day somewhere in theworld, six people become infected with HIV: 7,500 adults per day and1,000 children. About 30 million people have acquired the virus during thelast 15 years; 6.4 million of them have died of AIDS. Behind this mounting death count are the signs of growing socialdisruption. For example, in sub-Saharan Africa, more than 1 millionchildren have lost their parents to AIDS. And within four years, there willbe more than 2 million AIDS orphans in the following seven countriescombined: Dominican Republic, Kenya, Rwanda, Thailand, Uganda, theUnited States, and Zambia. Illness and death among young adults due to HIV have reached suchproportions in some countries that overall national economics and
























productivity are affected. In Uganda, for example, 44 percent of allpremature deaths are attributable to AIDS. In terms of years of laborproductivity, AIDS is responsible for more than 66 percent of Uganda'seconomically significant losses. The virus is also spreading into new areas. For example: -During the last three years, HIV-infection rates among Vietnameseprostitutes jumped from 9 percent to 38 percent. -Infection rates among blood donors in the Cambodian capital of PhnomPenh have soared from 0.1 percent to more than 10 percent. -In the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Nikolayev, HIV-infection ratesamong narcotics users exploded in 1995, jumping from a 1.7 percent inJanuary to 56.5 percent in November. -South Africa, long spared, is now being overrun. Tests of pregnantwomen in the province of Kwazulu/Natal show a jump from 9.6 percent to18 percent. In my opinion, I think that all the scientists of the world should gettogether and try to devise a cure for HIV and AIDS. It may take time, and itmay take money; but I think it is worth it in order to save mankind fromextinction and total annihilation.