Essay on HIV and AIDS

Writing guide
Posted on October 7, 2008

Writing an essay on AIDS and HIV is a common experience of graduates and university students in the faculties of science, medicine, sociology, humanities, and other social sciences. When you need to write an essay on AIDS and HIV, you need to be quite proficient in related terminology and their global image. With some simple tips, you will be able to produce a high-quality piece within the specified deadline.

When it comes to AIDS, it is the abbreviated word that stands for ‘Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome’ while HIV is the name of the virus causing AIDS. People who are HIV positive or who are carriers of HIV virus may not have AIDS, but they are more prone to get the disease in the years to come if the HIV virus becomes active. In other words, as HIV grows in the human body, it starts damaging or even destroying certain cells of the immune system. As a result, the process weakens the immune system and leaves it vulnerable to all possible diseases and infections that usually range from flu to cancer. Only when a person with HIV starts experiencing some of these severe conditions, and a great number of cells of the immune system are gone, they are diagnosed with Acquired Immune Deficiency syndrome.

Right after infection, many people have temporary, mild symptoms that are similar to flu. Some of them have swollen glands. However, when it comes to their look, it is pretty healthy, without any visible symptoms. How to know if you or anyone else has HIV? There’s only one way to know the answer – get tested for HIV. A lot of people wonder if they can tell whether someone is infected with AIDS or HIV. The reality is that it is impossible to tell just by taking a look at a person. The trick is that the person may look completely healthy, while their body is affected by a potentially deadly infection.

How quickly do individuals that have HIV develop AIDS? In some cases, it develops right after the infection. However, a lot of people report having zero symptoms for almost twelve years. Some people do not develop symptoms even for a longer period of time. It is important to mention in your paper that early detection and proper remedy play a crucial part in keeping the amount of HIV in your blood as low as possible. All the antiretroviral drugs that exist today are essential to keep people healthy over the years. What is more, these medications are so effective that the majority of people with the disease tend to live a long and happy life.

When your teacher asks you to write an essay on AIDS and HIV, you should take the steps mentioned below:

  • An essay on AIDS and HIV needs a clear conceptual understanding of the subject. At first, you need to do a little research on what AIDS and HIV are.
  • Then you need to know the causes and methods of how the disease is spread. People have a limited understanding of this disease globally. For that reason, there is a need to add explanatory concepts in your essay on AIDS and HIV. For instance, you may mention how many people are living with the disease. Write in your essay that up to 38 million people have HIV all over the globe. A lot of them have not the slightest idea of the fact that they are ill. As a result, they are spreading HIV to other people. For instance, when it comes to the United States of America, 1.1 million people have HIV. At the same time, nearly 39 000 people in the USA become newly infected annually. According to the most recent data, in the United States of America, almost 14% of people who have HIV have no idea about being infected with this virus.
  • When you write an essay on HIV, it is important to focus on the virus only. In other words, you don’t have to talk much about AIDS.
  • When it comes to writing an essay about AIDS, the author has to focus just on AIDS and its related issues after introducing the issues about HIV.
  • College essays on AIDS and HIV are two different things leading to the same discussion. In other words, your task is to differentiate while writing.
  • Both – an essay on AIDS and an essay on HIV – require a little understanding of medical principles as well. Do your research. Do not be lazy to read and understand more about these medical conditions. Make sure to approach medical experts as well in case you’re not sure you understand all the concepts properly.

When you are assigned to accomplish an essay on AIDS and HIV topics, you can refer to medical journals too. It is important to make use of trusted and famous online sources, such as Webicina, MedlinePlus, or National Health Information Center. At the same time, you can get more information at The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Amfar.org, The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, etc.

As for the topics for your essay on HIV and AIDS, the variety of options is priceless! Here are some of the issues that one can research and debate in a college essay or any other type of academic writing:

  • HIV and AIDS mother-to-child transmission. If you decide to write about this particular issue, you can choose to write about the transmission during breastfeeding, pregnancy, or childbirth. Mention in your essay that every woman who is planning to become a mom or is pregnant already should be tested for the virus. Also, we recommend including that if getting the right treatment for HIV early in the pregnancy, the risk to transmit the virus to the baby is less than 1%.
  • AIDS/HIV treatments. At the moment, a range of drugs is there to cure AIDS and HIV. Thus, people suffering from the virus have a chance to stay as healthy as possible. Mention in your essay that a lot of people with HIV can take a pill on a daily basis that contains the so-called ART known as an active antiretroviral therapy. The right amount of medication reduces the amount of HIV to acceptable levels. As a result, immune cells of the human body can rebound to healthy levels.
  • Writing an essay about safer sex as an integral part of AIDS/HIV prevention could be an option when it comes to picking the essay topic. Choose to write about the role of sexual education in HIV prevention, the legendary celebrities diagnosed with HIV, or the importance of family support for people with HIV. The topics vary, which means you are going to choose the issues that you are particularly interested to discuss.

Don’t worry if you are assigned the task to write an essay on AIDS and HIV for your college class. The reality is that the essay, the research paper, or any other type of academic assignment can be written with a little understanding and comprehension of the concept. In order words, college students are not supposed to be House M.D., which means your text should correspond to the college level – not the doctoral project.

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