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Running head: EPIDEMIOLOGY PAPER

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Epidemiology Paper
Name
Institution of Affiliation
Date

EPIDEMIOLOGY PAPER

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Today, HIV is still a major global health concern, having already claimed over thirty-five
million lives. In the year 2017, about 940,000 people lost their lives died due to causes that are
related to HIV globally (Katz et al., 2018). The HIV attacks one’s immune system which is the
ordinary defense that protects the body against illness. In this epidemiology paper, the
communicable disease to be discussed is HIV/AIDS. Some of the details to be provided about
the disease include its causes, transmission, treatment, symptoms, and the demographics of
interest. Also, the social determinants of health will be described and their contribution to HIV
development. Another item to be discussed is the epidemiologic triangle of HIV as well as the
special considerations. The global implication of the disease will also be discussed in relation to
other countries and cultures. HIV is among the deadliest communicable disease and a global
pandemic that has attracted the interest and efforts of many researchers over time and the trends
in the characteristic of the disease’s cases provide vital information about how this epidemic is
changing over tie.
Overview of HIV/AIDS
HIV is a contagious virus that targets the defense or immune system that protects the
human body from infections and some various type of cancer and weakens it. As this virus
damages and ruins the functionality of the body’s immune cells the individual; those infected
with the virus will progressively turn out to be immune-deficient. The immune function is
usually measured using the CD4 count of cells. Also, the state of being immunodeficient leads to
a heightened susceptibility to numerous infections, cancers as well as other diseases that
individuals who have a healthy immune system can successfully fight off (Baggaley et al., 2016).
The final phase of the HIV infection is what is named AIDS that takes about 2 to 15 year to
develop fully, this period varies in different individuals.

EPIDEMIOLOGY PAPER

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Causes
HIV is typically an STI that can also be transmitted through contact with blood from an
infected person or during the gestation period from a woman to their child or in childbirth or
when breastfeeding. Generally, HIV is spread via fluids secreted by the body like blood, anal
fluids, vaginal fluids, and semen as mentioned earlier. Having unprotected intercourse with a
person who is infected is a major cause of HIV for people who are at a high risk of infection
(Katz et al., 2018). Sharing of equipment used for steroid, illicit drugs, and hormones that are
injectable with an individual who has HIV is also a leading cause of the infection. If no
medication is received, it takes a year before the virus weakens the body's immunity to the extent
that they have AIDS.
Symptoms and Complications
The symptoms of this infection differ based on the phase of infection. Although persons
who are living with it are more infectious during the initial months, most of them are not aware
of their status during this time until the final phases. In the initial weeks following preliminary
infection, persons might have no symptoms or just an influenza-like sickness such as headache,
fever or rash. With time, the virus ...