HIV and AIDS

For my Action Project in my Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) class I was told to write an essay about MDGs six. seven, or eight. I decided to to write my essay on the sixth MDG which was “COMBAT HIV/AIDS, MALARIA AND OTHER DISEASES”. Within the UN’s sixth goal I’m going to focus on fighting HIV/AIDS. This project was a pretty interesting topic to learn, because I didn't know that having HIV/AIDS would have such an impact on people's lives. As the virus continues to multiply and destroy immune cells, you may develop mild infections or chronic signs and symptoms such as Swollen lymph nodes, Diarrhea, Oral yeast infections, etc. When I learned about these symptoms I realized just how bad HIV could be, and it made me wonder when HIV and how started spreading. There has begun to spread of HIV/AIDS everywhere starting in the 1980’s. Scientists believe that the chimpanzee version of the immunodeficiency virus most likely was transmitted to humans and mutated into HIV when humans hunted these chimpanzees for meat and came into contact with their infected blood(T.I.A.). HIV/AIDS has been a real threat and there isn’t enough people who are aware of it, or how to defend themselves from it. There are simple ways to prevent getting HIV/AIDS.



About 50,000 people get infected with HIV each year in the U.S. (C.D.C.). In 2010, there were around 47,500 new HIV infections in the United States (CDC). The world is being attacked by HIV and too many people don’t know how they’re getting it. The alarming rate of new infections proves that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is a real threat to the world and has to stop.

(MJF Bad HIV)

HIV and AIDS has been spreading throughout the world and it’s hard to get rid of. There is no cure for HIV or AIDS, therefore the only way to fight it is to prevent it. MDG six it tells us to combat AIDS and HIV as well as other diseases. That basically means we should prevent or try to spread of AIDS/ HIV and other diseases. The UN made a lot of progress, in fact new HIV infections fell by approximately 40% between 2000 and 2013 (U.N.). “According to estimates by WHO and UNAIDS, 36.9 million people were living with HIV globally at the end of 2014” (WHO). Also in 2014, 2 million people became newly infected, and 1.2 million died of AIDS-related causes (WHO).

In Greece, a large amount of people are beginning to get infected with HIV/AIDS, but the government is trying to take action to prevent further spread of the disease. The amount of people in Greece getting HIV/AIDS has gone up 8.4% and the numbers are increasing (HCDCP). Even though Greece is having trouble with AIDS and HIV, they have done a good job keeping their number low. Only 12,000 of 11 million people in Greece are infected (J.K.).The government is trying to lower the amount of prostitutes there in order to make sure no one is getting HIV. Limiting the number of prostitutes in Greece will reduce the amount of people that get HIV/AIDS, since prostitutes normally don’t get tested for it. Greece’s government are also distributing more clean needles at pharmacies so no one gets infected from other people's blood.

HIV and AIDS doesn’t have to be as big of a problem as it is, and we could help fix it by simply preventing getting it. An easy way to prevent HIV and AIDS is by using condoms while having sex. Another effective way to prevent HIV is by making sure the needles when you use are clean when taking medication. Lastly, to slow down the spread of HIV/AIDS is to limit the amount of sexual partners you have. If we can slow down the spread for an entire generation then our children won’t have to worry about getting HIV/AIDS.

HIV/AIDS are threatening so many people's lives and everyone needs to stop it and practice. There isn’t anyone who wants HIV and AIDS. If you want to prevent getting it make sure to use condoms, limit your amount of sexual partners, and use clean needles. Make sure to spread awareness on these ways so you can protect your friends and family.

Works Cited

• "United Nations Millennium Development Goals." UN News Center. UN. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
• "HIV in the United States: At A Glance." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 July 2015. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
• "Greece's Latest Crisis: Rising HIV Cases." NPR. NPR. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
• "HIV in the United States: At A Glance." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 July 2015. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.