Awareness

HIV/AIDS AWARENESS

Jessica Adams

Com/172

5/21/2013

Gregory Taylor

HIV/AIDS AWARENESS

When people talk about awareness for diseases most people talk about Breast Cancer, skin Cancer ECT... But rarely is people giving that much thought in HIV/AIDS awareness most people are just too scared of this disease and let alone the thought of having it and sometimes talking about it people only know what they was taught instead of doing your own history and learning what it really means to have this disease. With teen pregnancy on the rise we need to keep in mind that this disease is still out there and that we as women and men need to protect ourselves because even though FDA has drugs out there that will help you live a longer life it won’t be a healthy one this is the one disease that people should be afraid of because you can spread it amongst partners and to an unborn child. With Cancer you can’t get it by any type of body fluids but with HIV and AIDS you can which to most people it can be a very scary thing. As of 2012 South Carolina is ranked 8th in the country as far as HIV/AIDS cases that is a lot when you think how small this state is. I am going to start off by first telling you what is HIV and AIDS. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It breaks down the immune system — our body's protection against disease. HIV causes people to become sick with infections that normally wouldn't affect them. AIDS is short for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. It is the most advanced stage of HIV disease. Some people develop HIV symptoms shortly after being infected. But it usually takes more than 10 years. There are several stages of HIV disease. The first HIV symptoms may include swollen glands in the throat, armpit, or groin. Other early HIV symptoms include slight fever, headaches, fatigue, and muscle aches. These symptoms may last for only a few weeks. Then there are usually no HIV symptoms for many years. That is why it can be hard to know if you have...