HIV IN MEN

HIV in Men



HIV in men

Introduction

The virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, was first identified by scientists in 1983. Since then, the geographic origins of the virus have been hotly debated in the scholarly and secular communities. Recent studies by genetic scientists have indicated that HIV-1, the more virulent form of the virus that causes AIDS, can be traced to a closely related strain of virus, called simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) that infects a subspecies of chimpanzees in Central Africa. It also happens that people in this region hunt chimpanzees for bush meat, leading scientists to believe that the virus may have passed from the blood of chimpanzees into humans through superficial wounds. Indeed, many believe that the virus has been prevalent among humans in remote, inaccessible jungle areas since the 1920s. (Kalipeni 2008, 33)However, in today's globalized and highly interconnected world, the virus somehow managed to escape from this region into the wider world. There are two forms of this virus, HIV-1 and HIV-2, HIV-2 is restricted to the Guinea Highlands of West Africa, while HIV-1 accounts for the majority of AIDS cases throughout the world.

Discussion

When the disease was first identified in North America and Europe, it was first thought to be a disease of homosexual men. In the early years, over 90% of cases were diagnosed in homosexual men. As a result, in the 1980s, HIV/AIDS was often described as “the gay plague.” As such, the early educational campaigns on safe sex targeted gay men. These have largely been successful in reducing the transmission rate among this population in North America and Europe. While the number of new infections of HIV/AIDS among homosexual individuals in North America is on the decline, the disease is now increasingly being spread through unprotected heterosexual sex. Recent UNAIDS estimates indicate that the total number of persons living with HIV is on the increase in North America and Western Europe. (Kalipeni 2008, 33)This increase is due mainly to the life-prolonging effects of antiretroviral therapy and an increase in the number of new HIV diagnoses in Western Europe since 2002, combined with a relatively stable number of new HIV infections each year in North America. Overall, approximately 2.1 million people in North America and in Western and Central Europe were living with HIV in 2007, including the 78,000 who acquired HIV during that year. In the context of widespread access to effective antiretroviral treatment, comparatively few people (about 32,000) died of AIDS in these regions in 2007.

HIV in men

The conventional idea of masculinity is a major cause towards the contribution of HIV/AIDS pandemic especially among men. Around the globe men continue to exercise their power in majority of their sexual relationships; a disparity that often robs women of the capability to make decisions concerning to their health issues. (MacKellar 2005, Pp. 603-614)

The proportion of men contributing in HIV prevention, support and care efforts has been lower when compared to women. For instance the number of men test for HIV is significantly lower than women. Therefore enlisting men in the fight against HIV is very important to lowering vulnerability to ...