Today adolescents of both sexes face a serious risk of HIV infection, which is the cause of AIDS. AIDS is a chronic and most often fatal disease. Despite growing understanding and awareness, HIV infection is a serious threat to both heterosexual and homosexual teens. When adolescents take certain risks, they are more likely to become infected with HIV and develop AIDS: These are the most important facts about AIDS: . AIDS is most often fatal . Anyone can get AIDS – many teens (both boys and girls) have been infected . Condoms can reduce the risk of getting AIDS .
You can get AIDS from use of even one contaminated needle or one exual act with a partner who has HIV/AIDS Risk of AIDS is increased by: . an increased number of sexual partners . IV drug use . anal intercourse . any sex (oral, anal or vaginal) without condoms . alcohol and other drug use (sex is more impulsive and use of condoms less likely if under the influence of alcohol or other drugs) . tattoos and body piercing with contaminated (unsterile) needles or instruments AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a chronic illness caused by infection with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).
Millions of Americans are believed to be infected with HIV. Some of them have AIDS, but most have no symptoms at all, and many do not know they are infected. Despite significant advances in available medical treatment for HIV, there are no definitive cures or vaccines that can prevent the disease. New treatments have enabled many people with AIDS to live longer. AIDS can be prevented by avoiding risk behaviors. HIV is transmitted through exchange of certain bodily fluids such as blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk. To produce an infection, the virus must pass through the skin or mucous membranes into the body.
HIV infection is preventable. Knowledge about HIV is an important aspect of prevention. Parents should educate their children and also work closely with schools, churches, youth organizations, and health care professionals to ensure that children and teens receive sex education and preventive drug abuse courses which include material on HIV. The HIV virus dies quickly when it is outside the human body. It cannot be transmitted by day-to-day or even close social contacts not mentioned above. Family members of an individual infected with HIV will not catch the virus if they share drinking glasses with the person.
There is no known nstance in which a child infected with HIV has passed the virus to another child in the course of school activities. HIV infection occurs in all age groups. Twenty-five percent of the babies born to untreated mothers infected with HIV develop HIV infection themselves. Many of these children die within one or two years, but some live for years, although their development is slowed and they can get many infections. Mothers-to-be with HIV must get special treatment to try to prevent transmission of the virus to their fetuses.
New treatments for pregnant women may reduce the transmission of the virus to fewer than one n ten babies of HIV-positive mothers Drug and/or alcohol abuse, premature and/or promiscuous sexual activity are serious risk behaviors. Evaluation by a child and adolescent psychiatrist can be an important first step in helping a family respond effectively to high risk behaviors in their children and adolescents. 45,736,287 number of people men/women and children living with aids today AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) results from infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
HIV infects and destroys lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell involved in the body’s immune (infection-fighting) esponse to invading germs. The virus attacks specific lymphocytes called T helper cells (CD4 cells, also known as T-cells), taking over the machinery of these cells to make more copies of itself. This process begins to destroy the CD4 cells. Over time, the total number of CD4 cells in the body drops off, lowering the body’s resistance to invading germs and disease.
When the population of CD4 cells falls to a very low level, people with HIV get infections (known as opportunistic infections) and/or certain types of cancer that a healthy immune system would otherwise successfully fight off. This weakened immunity (or immune deficiency) is known as AIDS and can result in severe life-threatening infections, some forms of cancer, and the deterioration of the nervous system. Although AIDS is always the result of an HIV infection, not everyone with HIV has AIDS. In fact, adults who become infected with HIV will appear healthy for years before they get sick with AIDS.
HIV/AIDS Statistics The first case of AIDS was reported in 1981, but the disease may have existed unrecognized for many years before that. HIV infection leading to AIDS has been a major cause of illness and death among children, teens, and oung adults worldwide. Nationally, AIDS has been the sixth leading cause of death in the United States among 15- to 24-year-olds since 1991. In recent years, AIDS infection rates have been increasing rapidly among teens and young adults. Half of all new HIV infections in the United States occur in people under 25 years of age; thousands of teens in the United States become infected each year.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the majority of new HIV cases in younger people are transmitted through unprotected sex; one third of these cases re from injection drug usage – the sharing of dirty, blood-contaminated needles. In 2000, the CDC reported that more than 90% of current cases of AIDS in children – and almost all new HIV infections reported in young children in the United States – resulted from transmission of the HIV virus from the mother to her child during pregnancy, birth, or through breastfeeding.
Fortunately, medicines currently given to HIV-positive pregnant women have reduced mother-to-child HIV transmission tremendously in the United States. These drugs (discussed in detail in the Treatment section of this article) re also used to slow or reduce some of the effects of the disease in people who are already infected. As a result, transmission from mother to child has been almost eliminated in the United States. Unfortunately, these medicines have not been readily available worldwide, particularly in the poorer nations hardest hit by the epidemic.
According to UNAIDS (the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS) and the World Health Organization, in developing countries, where 95% of people with HIV live, only about 5% of those who needed treatment could get it in 2002. In Africa, that percentage was even lower. Providing access to these life-saving treatments has become an issue of global importance. Causes HIV is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or body fluid of someone who is infected with the virus. The three main ways the HIV virus is passed to a very young child are: . while the baby develops in the mother’s uterus (intrauterine) . t the time of birth . during breastfeeding Among teens, the virus is most commonly spread through high-risk behaviors including: . unprotected sexual intercourse (oral, vaginal, or anal sex) . sharing needles used to inject drugs or other substances (including ontaminated needles used for injecting steroids and tattooing and body art) HIV can also be transmitted by direct contact with an open wound of an infected person (the virus may be introduced through a small cut or tear on the body of the healthy person), but this is very rare. Blood transfusions can also transmit the virus, but again, this is rare.
Since 1985, the U. S. blood supply has been carefully screened for HIV. Signs and Symptoms Although there are no immediate physical signs of HIV infection at birth, children born with HIV can develop opportunistic infections (infections hat take advantage of a person’s weakened immune system), such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), in the first months of life. They also can have much more severe bouts of other common childhood infections, such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, which causes mild illness in most kids but can cause fatal pneumonia in children with HIV/AIDS.
In developing countries, tuberculosis has been a particularly common problem and often the cause of death of children and adults. A baby born with HIV infection most likely will appear healthy. But sometimes, within 2 to 3 months after birth, an infected baby may begin to ppear sick, with poor weight gain, repeated fungal mouth infections (thrush), enlarged lymph nodes, enlarged liver or spleen, neurological problems, and multiple bacterial infections, including pneumonia. Teens and young adults who contract HIV usually show no symptoms at the time of infection.
In fact, it may take up to 10 years or more for symptoms to show. During this time, they can pass on the virus without even knowing they have it themselves. Once the symptoms of AIDS appear, they can include rapid weight loss, intense fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, persistent diarrhea, night sweats, or pneumonia. They, too, will be susceptible to life-threatening opportunistic infections. Long-Term Care of Children With HIV/AIDS Cases of HIV infection and AIDS in children are complicated and should be managed by experienced health care professionals.
Children will need to have their treatment schedules closely monitored and adjusted regularly. Any infections that could become life-threatening must be quickly recognized and treated. Medicines are adjusted in relation to the child’s viral load. The child’s health is also monitored by frequent measurement of T-cell levels because these are the cells that the HIV virus destroys. A good T-cell count is a positive sign that medical treatments are working to keep the disease under control.
Children will need to visit their health care providers often for blood work, physical examinations, and discussions about how they and their families are coping socially with any stress from their disease. Some immunizations during routine visits may be slightly different for infants or children with HIV/AIDS (they will only receive the live virus vaccines – measles-mumps-rubella and varicella [chicken pox] – if their immune systems are not severely compromised). All other routine immunizations are given as usual, and a yearly influenza vaccine (flu shot) is recommended as well.
If a family seeks health care in a hospital emergency department, parents should be sure to tell the nurse who registers the child that the child has HIV; this will alert medical caregivers to look closely for any signs of diseases from opportunistic infections. Outlook There is no known cure for HIV or AIDS. Although current treatments can slow the progression of the HIV disease, life expectancy is still reduced significantly. Children who acquire HIV at birth develop AIDS sooner and end to have more serious complications than adults with the virus.
At this time, no children who were infected with HIV at birth have survived into adulthood, though much progress is being made in AIDS research and treatment. Although all children, teens, and adults with HIV will eventually become sick, recent medical advances have prolonged their survival. Drug treatments can allow people living with HIV to remain free of symptoms for longer and can improve quality of life for people living with AIDS. The search goes on for a vaccine that might prevent HIV infection. But even if uch a vaccine is developed, it is likely years away.
That’s why prevention of HIV remains of worldwide importance today. Prevention Despite much research, there is no vaccine that will prevent HIV infection. Only the avoidance of risky behaviors can do this. Among U. S. teens and adults, HIV transmission is almost always the result of sexual contact with an infected person or sharing contaminated needles. Infection can be prevented by: . abstaining from sex (not having oral, vaginal, or anal sex) . never sharing needles Risk can be substantially reduced by: . lways using latex condoms for all types of sexual intercourse, orrectly and every time . avoiding contact with the bodily fluids through which HIV is transmitted: blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk Avoidance of alcohol and drugs is also key in preventing the spread of HIV – not because a person can get HIV directly from drinking and doing drugs, but because drinking and drug use often leads to risky behaviors that are associated with an increased risk of infection (such as having unprotected sex and sharing needles).
The most important means of preventing HIV/AIDS in infancy is to test all pregnant women for the virus. If the result is positive, treatment can mmediately begin before the baby is born to prevent HIV transmission. Talking With Your Child About HIV and AIDS Talking about HIV and AIDS means talking about sexual behaviors – and it’s not always easy for parents to talk about sexual feelings and behavior to their teens. Similarly, it’s not always easy for teens to open up or to believe that issues like HIV and AIDS can affect them.
Doctors and counselors suggest that parents become knowledgeable and comfortable discussing sex and other difficult issues early on, even before the teen years. After all, the issues involved – understanding the body and exuality, adopting healthy behaviors, respecting others, and dealing with feelings – are topics that have meaning at all ages (though how parents talk with their children will vary according to the child’s age and ability to understand). Open communication and good listening skills are vital for parents and children.
Schools can help. Providing age-appropriate information about HIV/AIDS that has been designed to educate children about the disease is required by every state. Studies show that such education makes a tremendous difference in stopping risk-taking behavior by young people. Parents who are well informed about the behaviors that can prevent the spread of HIV and who talk with their children regularly about healthy behaviors, feelings, and sexuality play an important part in HIV/AIDS prevention.
HATRED Love to Hate America’s Obsession with Hatred and Violence Jody Roy “In bringing together disparate strands of culture in an insightful configuration, Roy’s work makes an original and significant contribution to our understanding of the relationship between rhetoric and popular culture. The book addresses a timely and engrossing subject in a way that will appeal to the general reader, as well as to scholars n culture studies, mass media, and communication; it stands as an excellent example of the application of sound scholarship to social problems. -James R. Andrews, professor emeritus of American Studies, Indiana University “Love to Hate is a skillfully written depiction of how we Americans have gotten ourselves caught up in a seemingly endless cycle of intrigue with hatred and violence. Roy’s many cleverly related examples and her introduction to the basic thought processes at work make you ask, ‘wow -do I do this? ‘” -Kathy Stewart, chair, Board of Directors, Students Talking About Respect, Inc. “A commentary on America’s obsession with violence. ” – Youth Today Why? s the simple, impulsive question we ask when confronted by horrible acts of hatred and violence. Why do students shoot fellow students or employees their coworkers? Why do mothers drown their children or husbands stalk and kill their wives? Love to Hate challenges us to turn this question upon ourselves at a deeper level. Why, as a culture, are we so fascinated by these acts? Why do we bestow celebrity on the perpetrators, while allowing the victims to fade into a second death of obscurity? Are e, as Pope John Paul II famously accused, “a culture of death”?
And if so, how can we break free of this unacknowledged aspect of the cycle of violence? Unlike those who point solely to media imagery, splintered families, or lax gun control laws in search of the roots of America’s endemic violence, Jody M. Roy suggests that we all must be held responsible. She argues that we reveal our love affair with hatred and violence in the ways we think and speak in our daily lives and in our popular culture. The very words we use function as building blocks of callousness and contempt, betraying our mmersion in subtexts of violence and hatred.
These subtexts are further revealed in our complex attitudes toward street gangs, school shooters, serial killers, and hate groups and the paroxysms of violence they unleash. As spectators, driven by our impulse to watch, we become an integral part of the equation of violence. In the book’s final section, “Freeing Ourselves of Our Obsession with Hatred and Violence,” Roy offers practical steps we can take -as parents, consumers, and voters -to free ourselves from linguistic and cultural complicity and to help create in America a culture of life.
