AIDS: Problem affecting community

Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS : Effect on the Community

AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ) was first reported in the United States in 1981 and has since become a major worldwide epidemic AIDS is caused by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus . HIV progressively destroys the body 's ability to fight infections and certain cancers by killing or damaging cells of the body 's immune system . People diagnosed with AIDS may get life-threatening diseases called opportunistic infections , which are caused by microbes such as viruses or bacteria that usually do not make healthy people sick . High

concentration of the virus is found in blood , followed by semen , then by vaginal fluids and breast milk . HIV can be transmitted from an infected person to another through unprotected sexual contact direct blood contact- including injection drug needles , blood transfusions , accidents in health care settings or certain blood products mother to baby (before or during birth , or through breast milk . After a person is infected with HIV , the virus remains silent for many years , sometimes up to a decade . Then as the immune system breaks down , the virus causes the AIDS and that leads to too many health problems

Recent research shows that about 90 percent of new HIV infections occur in African American , Hispanic , and Caribbean populations . The CDC estimates that 850 ,000-950 ,000 people are living with HIV /AIDS in the United States . Approximately 40 ,000 new HIV infections occur each year in the United States , about 70 percent among men and 30 percent among women . According to Kevin Conare , Executive Director of Action AIDS half of the new cases of AIDS in the United States today occur in people who are younger than twenty-five years of age , and Philadelphia is no exception . Even with the awareness programs and availability of effective treatments and outreach the proportion of females to males continues to grow 1995 males 77 to females 23 , 1999 males 72 to females 28 . In Philadelphia AIDS cases are not uniformly distributed across the City or by race . Most of the impacted areas are North , South West and Central Philadelphia . It also varies by widely by the way the people are infected . 19 of the people are hetero sexual , 42 got it thru injections and drug use , 31 from men who have sex with me

PERCENTAGE OF RACE PHILADELPHIA PENNSYLVANIA

White , Not Hispanic 25 37

Black , Not Hispanic 65 50

Hispanic 10 12

Asian /Pacific Islander 1 1

American Indian /Alaskan Native 1 1

As of December 31 , 2004 , 8 ,400 residents of Philadelphia have died having a diagnosis of AIDS . 8 ,684 Philadelphians are known to be living with AIDS and that many are thought to be living with HIV disease , but not yet diagnosed with AIDS . The proportion of females to males continues to grow despite the availability of effective treatments (1995 - males77 to females 23 , 1999 - males 72 to females 28

AIDS Activities Coordinating Office (AACO ) is an active organization in Philadelphia and Center for Disease and Control (CDC...