Running head: POPULATION RISK PAPER

Population Risk Paper

Rebecca Sherborne
Ferris State University
Nurs 340
Professor Dood
February 11, 2016

Population Risk Paper: HIV/AIDS

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Population Risk Paper
Introduction

There are many vulnerable populations throughout the world ranging from pregnant
women, to children, however today i want to focus on one group in particular: those infected
with the HIV/AIDS virus. The HIV virus is transmitted person to person through body fluids,
including anything from blood, semen, vaginal fluids, breast milk and a few others. Once
someone becomes infected the virus attacks specific cells throughout our bodies called CD4
cells. CD4 cells are also known as "T cells" or fighter cells, help us fight off infections and other
harmful organisms that we may come in contact with. Eventually those individuals can no
longer fight off infections because they do not have an adequate amount of fighter cells (CD4
cells), leaving that person at risk for contracting other opportunistic diseases and even certain
cancers (Centers for Disease Control, 2015). According to the AIDS website it is estimated that
about thirty-six point nine million people are currently living with this disease, and of this
population two point six million children are affected.
Disease History
The history of this disease is still something of a mystery today, however one theory is
that it originated from chimpanzees in Africa. The Centers for disease Control believe that
chimpanzees were infected with a different form of the virus called SIV or Simian
Immunodeficiency Virus. According to their website it was "most likely transmitted to human's
and mutated into HIV when human's hunted these chimpanzees and came into contact with their
blood"(Centers for Disease Control, 2015). Scientists have conducted many studies on the
subject and believe that this transmission between chimps and humans could have occurred as
early as the 1800's. Eventually the disease spread from Africa to other areas of the globe reaching

Population Risk Paper: HIV/AIDS

pandemic status. The first identified case of the disease was in 1959 in the Democratic Republic
of Congo, and then eventually in 1981 the first case appeared in the United States (Healthline,
n.d). According to Healthline the first documented cases were "homosexual men dying from
mysterious, pneumonia-like infections", however the disease was not officially given its name
until 1982. Unfortunately due to the circumstances surrounding the disease appearance, they
have greatly contributed to some of the stigmatisms and biases we see towards infected
individuals in society today.
Affected Population
Since 1981 we have learned a lot about the HIV virus and also the afflicted population.
For example we have learned that this disease has no preference on who it infects, it can infect
any gender, any race, any religion, and any culture as long as that person is exposed to the virus.
There are certain factors associated with contracting HIV outlined on the AVERT website that
include: male to male sexual intercourse, people who inject drugs, sex workers, prisoners,
transgender, women, children, and the young population in general. If you remember back to the
36.9 million people that are infected worldwide it is estimated that "one in eight does not know
they are infected", and of those infections "one in four newly infected people are between the
ages of thirteen and twenty-four years old"(U.S Department of Health & Human Services, 2015).
It was very interesting to me to learn that disproportionately of all the races affected African
Americans have higher infection rates not only in the United States, but also here in Michigan
and also those between the ages of 30-39 were affected more frequently than any other age
group in July 2015 survey (Michigan Department of Health & Human Services, 2015). While i
was going my research i was unable to find any local demographics that related to the HIV
virus. It is important to remember that because of the transmission route things that increase a

Population Risk Paper: HIV/AIDS

persons risk of developing this disease primarily rest around sexual practices and that is why
barrier methods and monogomy are encouraged practices in society, anything other than that is
usually seen as taboo or wrong in society today. Studies suggest that low income areas tend to be
at a higher risk for contracting the disease also but this may possible be related so social
practices, low education, less access to healthcare.
Stigma Factors
The factors outlined by AVERT that are associated with contracting this disease also play
a role in many of the social biases individuals experience today. The biggest stigmatism of the
HIV/AIDS virus stems from public fear. A "stigma is a social process that devalues individuals
or groups possessing some characteristic considered undesirable by society"(Bluthenthal et al.,
2012). Out of curiosity i randomly asked the first ten people i saw at work what their first
thoughts were when they heard the word HIV, not a single answer was positive. Answers ranged
from gay, death sentence, drugs, and unprotected sex. Some of the AVERT factors mentioned
earlier such as being gay, drug use, and even being "black" matched up with common biases
expressed in society, except for one consideration; the culture and how the disease is transmitted
primarily in that region. In one such study that examined HIV stigmas in religious congregations
throughout the United States, it was found that the results varied considerably from "highly
stigmatizing to accepting and affirming"(Bluthenthal et al., 2012), however they also uncovered
that the views towards HIV were primarily directed towards homosexuality and substance abuse.
Researchers are currently unable to determine if these attitudes could be influenced by outside
sources such as the religious history, or any experience with an openly gay member of society.
The study concluded that "congregational HIV activities are still possible despite the presence of
HIV-related Stigma and may in fact contribute to the further reduction of future

Population Risk Paper: HIV/AIDS

stigmas"(Bluthenthal et al., 2012). Non the less stigmas associated with this disease have been
linked to less access to health care for infected individuals, and also reduced detection due to fear
of being tested. In order to correct this problem education and treatment options should be
explained more thoroughly to the public.
Stereotypes/Stigmas
There are many possible health ramifications that accompany the stigmas and fear of
HIV. Many people fear not only receiving the news that they are in fact HIV positive, but they
fear rejection from friends, family, and the society the live in. For this reason many people who
are at risk or are infected choose not to be tested. This can cause many health problems for
society, the first primarily being that those individuals could be unknowingly transmitting HIV to
others. Another concern reguarding health in this population is their access to health care, "a
study found thoses who reported high stigma levels were four times more likely to report poor
health care access"("Stigmatism, Discrimination and HIV," 2015). This poor access to health
care is by far the most significant problem people who suffer from this disease experience
because they suffer an increased infection risk and also many suffer from cancers only really
seen in the HIV/AIDS population.
Associated Diseases
The HIV/AIDS population is at an increased risk of infection, however also cancers. One
of the most commonly seen cancer with this disease is called Kaposi Sarcoma. This cancer is
caused by a virus which is those who have an impaired immune system develop it more
frequently. When a patient develops Kaposi sarcoma(KS) they experience symptoms such as
"small, painless, flat, and discolored patches on the skin or inside of the mouth that are usually
red or purple"(NHS, n.d). However it is important to note this cancer can also have detrimental

Population Risk Paper: HIV/AIDS

affects to the digestive system, lymph nodes and the lungs. However there is good news for these
patients, anti-retro viral therapy that is used to treat their HIV has also been effective in reducing
the incidence of KS. In a study done throughout Europe, researchers explored the incidence
before and after anti-retroviral therapy was initiated in the Swiss population. They determined
that "Karposi Sarcoma risk was already reduced by up to ninety percent after one year of
HAART (highly active antiviral therapy) and showed no sign of increasing again for at least ten
years"(Franceschi et al., 2008). This study was a major turning point in the care for HIV patients
because it was a way to prevent a common disease, however the problem this population still
experiences is the lack of access to care. If these patients cannot access these
HAART medications then these conditions will remain problematic.
Health Reforms related to HIV
Health reforms have also changed drastically over the years, 1990 in particular was a
time of tremendous reform. During this year the U.S Congress passed an act called "Americans
with disabilities act (ADA). The act prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities,
including people living with HIV/AIDS"(U.S Department of Health & Human Services, 2015).
According to an article on the ADA act, "before the ADA was enacted, employer concerns about
the productivity and reliability of persons living with disabilities, including HIV, lead to
discrimination in hiring"(Crowley, Nevins, & Thompson, ). The biggest thing that this did for the
HIV population was protect against discrimination in health care, by requiring facilities to be
prepare to treat any disability (and HIV/AIDS) that was presented to their care offices. This
health care reform has played a major role in improving the quality of life because there
individuals are able to access the care they need, in theory.

Population Risk Paper: HIV/AIDS

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Conclusion

In conclusion, HIV/AIDS since it appearance has been a scary concept for the world, one
that we have slowly begun to understand. Biases held by society have not only shamed those
who are infected but it has caused many people to avoid being tested, further contributing to the
spread of HIV unknowingly. Many biases currently held by the public about infected individuals
have been labeled gay, drug user, taboo sex practices, and more which has led to the increase in
infected individuals not being able to access the health care they need. Many of these people
without the Anti-retroviral drugs will eventually develop a specific cancer, including Kaposi
Sarcoma, however the government has been working to try eliminate the disparity in healthcare
access for those with disabilities/HIV in order to provide a higher quality of life. In my opinion i
think great strides have been made in improving the quality of life for these individuals, but for
the last step is educating the public with the accurate information so we can correct the problem
from its roots, social stigmatisms.

Population Risk Paper: HIV/AIDS

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References

Avert: Stigmatism, Discrimination and HIV. (2015). ,from

http://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-social-issues/stigma-discrimination
Bluthenthal, R. N., Palar, K., Mendel, P., Kanouse, D. E., Corbin, D. E., & Derose, K. P. (2012,
March 6th, 2012). Attitudes and beliefs related to HIV/AIDS in urban religious
congregations: Barriers and opportunities for HIV-related interventions. Elsevier, 15201527. Retrieved from http://www.elsevier.com/locate/socscimed
Centers for Disease Control. (2015). HIV Basics., from
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/index.html
Crowley, J. S., Nevins, G. R., & Thompson, M. (, 07/01/2015). The Americans with Disabilities
Act and HIV/AIDS Discrimination: Unfinished Business. American Medical Association.
Retrieved from
http://amaprod.silverchaircdn.com/data/Journals/JAMA/934241/jvp150092.pdf.gif
Franceschi, S., Maso, L. D., Rickenbach, M., Polesel, J., Hirschel, B., Cavassini, M., ... Clifford,
G. (2008). Kaposi Sarcoma Incidence in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study before and after
Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy. British Journal of Cancer, 800-804. Retrieved
from http:/www.bjcancer.com
Healthline. (n.d). The History of HIV., from http://www.healthline.com/health/hivaids/history#EarliestCase1
Mayoclinic. (2015). HIV/AIDS., from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hivaids/basics/definition/con-20013732

Population Risk Paper: HIV/AIDS

Michigan Department of Health & Human Services. (2015). Annual HIV Surveillance Report,
Michigan July 2015. Retrieved 02/11/2016, from
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdch/Statewide_496827_7.pdf
NHS. (n.d). Kaposi's Sarcoma. Retrieved 02/11/2016, from
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/kaposis-sarcoma/Pages/Introduction.aspx
U.S Department of Health & Human Services. (2015). HIV/AIDS 101. Retrieved 02/11/2016,
from https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/what-is-hiv-aids/