HOME

BACKGROUND

STATISTICAL OVERVIEW

CASE STUDIES

REFERENCES

ABSTRACT

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) attacks certain disease-fighting cells within the body until the afflicted individual becomes immune deficient. Immunodeficiency is the most severe state of infection and is known as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Upon contracting AIDS, the victim becomes susceptible to potentially fatal diseases that his/her body could otherwise defend against. According to a 2006 United Nations report, 39 million people worldwide have contracted HIV/AIDS. The HIV/AIDS epidemic exists on a global scale and does not discriminate between gender, race, or age classifications. While all countries are faced with the challenge of coping with HIV/AIDS, the nature and extent of the virus’s effects vary from country to country. To highlight these variances, three case studies have been chosen. South Africa provides an example of a country with a very high number of HIV infected individuals (5.5 million) while Japan has a very low number of HIV victims (17,000). Insight into the societal idiosyncrasies that either stem or perpetuate the spread of HIV/AIDS is provided by a comparison of the two countries given their relatively low and high infection rates. The American state of New York will be the third case study. New York has the highest incidence of HIV contraction (169,556) in the U.S. and therefore is a quality depiction of American society’s response to the AIDS epidemic. The comparison of these three case studies identifies the effectiveness of different approaches to HIV treatment and prevention.