AIDS In African American Women, Research Paper Example

Introduction

HIV and AIDS are the two most challenging health problems of the postmodern society. Thousands of health professionals and organizations seek to investigate the roots and the basic mechanisms of AIDS/ HIV, to be able to reduce the scope of the health danger. That HIV and AIDS are associated with social, economic, and cultural issues is difficult to deny: different population groups display different levels of vulnerability to HIV/ AIDS. Today, African American women are at the highest risk of HIV/ AIDS. Given the scope of the problem, the state and the government must engage in the development of national programs which will protect African American Women from the risks of HIV/ AIDS.

The terms HIV and AIDS are often used interchangeably; yet, there are several essential differences between them. AIDS is “Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome” – a serious health condition that disrupts the immune balance in the human organism and leaves the immune system unable to fight even the simplest diseases (USA Today). AIDS is the last stage in the development and progression of the HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infection, which can manifest through a variety of symptoms and does not have any cure (USA Today). As the first stage of the virus progression toward AIDS, HIV can include a whole range of dangerous infections and symptoms, including weight loss, severe infections, and even CNS and cancer disorders (USA Today). Because of the lack of medical cure, HIV and AIDS are fairly regarded as the health plague of the postmodern society.

HIV and AIDS are associated with a whole set of social and economic / cultural complications. In other words, HIV and AIDS are the results and are accompanied by a complex interaction of numerous social, cultural, and health factors. That HIV/ AIDS is a gay disease is nothing but a myth – all individuals are at risk of becoming HIV infected either from an unsafe sexual contact or through a blood-to-blood contact (Salyer). Every day, 16,000 people all over the world become infected with HIV and only a small share of these HIV victims are gay: in the United States alone, Hispanic and African-American women account for more than three fourths of AIDS cases among all American women (Salyer). Between 1985 and 1997, the proportion of adolescent and adult women in all AIDS cases nearly tripled (Salyer). Not gay contacts but heterosexual sex is the primary means of spreading HIV/ AIDS in America (Cohen). With 48 HIV cases per 100,000 among African American women, the latter represent the most problematic population layer and are the source of the major HIV/ AIDS troubles in the U.S., compared with only 2 HIV cases per 100,000 of the white population (Cohen).

Several essential reasons explain the growing incidence of HIV/ AIDS among African American heterosexual women. Poverty is the principal factor responsible for the growing scope of HIV-infection in African American females: nearly every Black woman in the United States at some point experiences at least one year below the poverty line (Gilbert 7). African American women tend to concentrate in professions and occupations with low wages and receive fewer benefits compared with white women of the same age; they have a distorted vision of the community life and lack opportunities to practice healthy behaviors (Gilbert 7). Poverty in African American women is closely associated with at-risk sexual behaviors and drug use, which contribute to the spreading of HIV and AIDS among them: HIV/ AIDS risks associated with intravenous drug use are much higher for African American minorities than for White population groups (Gilbert 8). African American heterosexual women live in the atmosphere of hopelessness and self-destruction, and substance abuse for them always goes in tandem with HIV/ AIDS epidemic (Gilbert 8). Crack cocaine adds its share of complexity – African American women represent one of the highest numbers of crack users in the U.S. (Gilbert 8). These social issues are followed by health disparities and the epidemic of the sexually transmitted diseases: almost half of African American women regularly report the lack of the usual source of medical care, and poverty often becomes a serious barrier in their way to accessing professional medical assistance (Gilbert 10). Women have fewer chances to timely detect and address various STDs and thus fail to prevent and detect HIV infection (Gilbert 10). Trauma and violence lead African American women to involve in illegal activities, unsafe sex and drug use (Gilbert 11). Abused African American women are more likely than their white counterparts to experience early sex and teen pregnancy (Gilbert 11). Finally, “the disproportionate number of incarcerated Black men threatens family and relationship dynamics and also puts women at risk for HIV-infection” (Gilbert 12).

All these factors call for the need to address the HIV problem among African American women. Internet resources provide a number of recommendations to help women reduce the risks of HIV infection, including the use of condoms and abstinence. However, given the scope of the problem, abstinence and condom use alone cannot suffice to save African American heterosexual women from the risks of HIV. Previous years were marked with the failure to deliver a productive anti-HIV message to the most vulnerable populations, and the time has come when the state must engage in the development of national anti-HIV programs for African American women. These programs must include better health care, improved social conditions, and the availability of cultural and health programs that specifically target African Americans. At the basic level, women must avoid unsafe sex and reduce the number of sexual partners – they must test for HIV regularly and promote healthy sexual behaviors.

Conclusion

HIV and AIDS plague the postmodern society. African American heterosexual women are at the highest risk of becoming infected with HIV. That HIV/ AIDS is the disease of gay people is nothing but a myth – heterosexual contacts remain the basic source of spreading the disease. Poverty, health and social disparities, intravenous drug use, violence and trauma altogether turn African American heterosexual women into the most vulnerable population group and accounts for the two thirds of the new HIV cases in the U.S. The time has come for the state to develop a national anti-HIV program, which will target African American women and will provide them with better social and medical conditions. At the basic level, women must avoid unsafe sexual contacts and engage in healthy behaviors, to reduce the risks of HIV.

Works Cited

Cohen, J. “A Silent Epidemic”, Slate. Slate, 27 October 2004. Web. 26 April 2010.

Gilbert, D.J. African American Women and HIV/ AIDS: Critical Responses. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003.

Slayer, D. “Getting It Straight: HIV as a Gay Disease Is a Myth That Refuses to Die”, The Body. The Body, March 1999. Web. 26 May 2010.

USA Today. “AIDS and HIV Infection”, USA Today. USA Today, 2007. Web. 26 May 2010.