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HIV/AIDS
This project is for the profiles of all who have DIED with AIDS from an associated infection or health condition.
HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV)
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. If left untreated, HIV can lead to the disease AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). Unlike some other viruses, the human body cannot get rid of HIV. That means that once you have HIV, you have it for life. No safe and effective cure for HIV currently exists, but scientists are working hard to find one, and remain hopeful.
It affects specific dells on the immune system, called CD4 cells, or T cells. Over time, if left untreated, HIV can destroy so many of these cells that the body can’t fight off infections and disease. However, with proper medical care, HIV can be controlled.
ACQUIRED IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME (AIDS)
AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection, and not everyone who has HIV advances to this stage.
AIDS is the stage of infection that occurs when your immune system is badly damaged and you become vulnerable to opportunistic infections.
WHERE DID HIV COME FROM?
Scientists identified a type of chimpanzee in West Africa as the source of HIV infection in humans. They believe that the chimpanzee version of the immunodeficiency virus (called simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV) 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. Studies show that HIV may have jumped from apes to humans as far back as the late 1800s. Over decades, the virus slowly spread across Africa and later into other parts of the world. We know that the virus has existed in the United States since at least the mid- to late 1970s.
TRANSMISSION:
HIV is transmitted by three main routes: sexual contact, exposure to infected body fluids or tissues, and from mother to child during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding (known as vertical transmission). There is no risk of acquiring HIV if exposed to feces, nasal secretions, saliva, sputum, sweat, tears, urine, or vomit unless these are contaminated with blood. It is possible to be co-infected by more than one strain of HIV—a condition known as HIV superinfection
STATISTICS:
HIV in the Untied States:
- More than 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV infection, and almost 1 in 8 (12.8%) are unaware of their infection
- CDC estimates that 1,218,400 persons aged 13 years and older are living with HIV infection, including 156,300 (12.8%) who are unaware of their infection. The estimated incidence of HIV has remained stable overall in recent years, at about 50,000 new HIV infections per year.
- The number of people in the United States over the age of 50 who are living with HIV/ AIDS is growing rapidly. From 2001 to 2007, this segment of the HIV-positive population increased proportionally by over 61%, going from.17% of the HIV-positive population to about 27%. By 2015, people over 50 will constitute the majority of all people in this country with HIV/AIDS.
THE GLOBAL HIV/AIDS EPIDEMIC
- According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were approximately 35 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS in 2013. Of these, 3.2 million were children (<15 years old).
- According to WHO, an estimated 2.1 million individuals worldwide became newly infected with HIV in 2013. This includes over 240,000 children (<15 years). Most of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa and were infected by their HIV-positive mothers during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.
- A UNAIDS report shows that 19 million of the 35 million people living with HIV today do not know that they have the virus.
- The vast majority of people living with HIV are in low- and middle-income countries. According to WHO, sub-Saharan Africa is the most affected region, with 24.7 million people living with HIV in 2013. Seventy-one percent of all people who are living with HIV in the world live in this region.
- HIV is the world’s leading infectious killer. According to WHO, an estimated 39 million people have died since the first cases were reported in 1981 and 1.5 million people died of AIDS-related causes in 2013. • The HIV epidemic not only affects the health of individuals, it impacts households, communities, and the development and economic growth of nations. Many of the countries hardest hit by HIV also suffer from other infectious diseases, food insecurity, and other serious problems.
Famous People who Died of HIV/Aids:
- Wikipedia - List of HIV-positive people
- 23 Celebrities Who Lost Their Battle With AIDS
- Famous People Who Died of AIDS (150)
- Amanda Blake (1929-1989) Actress; was Miss Kitty Russell in TV series Gunsmoke
- Rock Hudson (1925-1985) American actor; 1st major American celebrity to publicly disclose HIV status
- Dack Rambo (1941-1994) American actor; played Jack Ewing in TV series Dallas
- Peter Adair (1943-1996) American documentary filmmaker
- Derek Jarman (1942-1994) British film director, stage designer, artist, and writer
- Patrick Esposito Di Napoli (1964-1994) French Canadian singer
- Youri Egorov (1954-1994) Soviet classical pianist, defected to the Netherlands
- Makgatho Mandela (1950-2005) South African attorney; was son of former South African president Nelson Mandela
- Richard A Heyman (1935-1994) American politician; may or Key West, Florida in 1983-85 & 1987-89
- Arthur Ashe (1943-1993) American tennis player & social activist; won 3 Grand Slam titles
- Esteban De Jesus (1951-1989) Puerto Rican boxer; world lightweight champion
- Tim Richmond (1955-1989) American NASCAR racing driver
- Jerry Smith (1943-1987) American professional football player; tight end for the Washington Redskins
- Liberace (1919-1987) American Pianist
- Ryan White Ryan was one of the first children with hemophilia to be diagnosed with AIDS.
Links to Additional Reading:
- HIV/AIDS Basics
- Mayo Clinic - HIV/AIDS
- Wikipedia - HIV/AIDS
- AIDSinfo - HIV Overview; HIV/AIDS: The Basic
- Wikipedia - World AIDS Day
- GMHC – Fight AIDS. Love Life
- GMHC - GMHC Hails Updates to National HIV/AIDS Strategy as a Roadmap to Continued Action
- GMHC - Growing older with the Epidemic: HIV and Aging
- Health Resources and Services Administration HIV/AIDS Programs
- HRSA - Who was Ryan White? Has additional connections to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program
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