AIDS in the Caribbean

             In today's society there is at least one person dying from the AIDS virus or being infected with HIV. Many individuals know the existence of AIDS, but how many of these individuals really know what it is. HIV – Human Immunodefiency Virus causes AIDS. These four letters that have changed the world AIDS stand for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Six million people populate the Caribbean English speaking countries. Statistics have suggested that approximately half a million people are living with HIV/AIDS, which is now the major cause of death in the region. Individually, the Caribbean countries reflect the regions cultural and ethnic diversity, and this diversity is reflected in its HIV/AIDS statistics. The impacts HIV/AIDS will have on the region are negative. Some of the negative impact it will have on the region are population decreases, labor force deteriorates, financial difficulties, and the segregation among individuals.
             Firstly, HIV/AIDS will reduce the population drastically. According to Professor Nettle ford, "in the foreword, rightly raises the bar of alarm when he describes the epidemic as a pandemic for ... the very thought indeed tempts one to contemplate, let alone wondering, whether the pandemic is not truly the worst and vilest weapon of destruction that the world has ever experienced (Jamaica Observer)."As stated the HIV/AIDS epidemic has reached alarming proportion and all should be aware of its magnitude. Furthermore according to the UNAIDS report:
             Heterosexual transmission of HIV in the Caribbean is a result of early sexual activity and multiple partner relationships. Survey data has shown that in some countries, approximately 25 percent of the adults reported being sexually active before the age of 14. Fifty percent had started having sex before the age 16. The prevalence of sexual activity between young women and older men also propels the epidemic in the Caribbean. In Trinidad and To...

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AIDS in the Caribbean. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 13:15, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/15990.html