AIDS :: Free AIDS Essays

AIDS is a serious (often fatal) disease of the immune system transmitted through blood products especially by sexual contact or contaminated needles. It is the most serious outcome of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. People with AIDS often suffer lung, brain, eye and other organ disease along with debilitating weight loss, diarrhea, candidacies, dementia, toxoplasmosis and a type of cancer called Kaposi's Sarcoma, and makes the immune system weak and therefore less able to fight certain infections and diseases. (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&oi=defmore&q=define:aids) AIDS is currently incurable, and is spread through the transfer of bodily fluids. According to WHO estimates, by end-1996, nearly 30 million people – including over 2.5 million children – had been infected with HIV since the start of the pandemic. Every day, more than 7000 adults and 500 babies are infected. More than 8 million people have developed AIDS. Of the 26.8 million adults wi th HIV infection – the global estimate in end-1996 – 14 million were in Sub-Saharan Africa and more than 3.5 million in Asia. Our region, that is South-East Asia, is likely to suffer the brunt of the pandemic - being home to over half the world’s population. Moreover, HIV/AIDS is now present in every continent and in every region of the world. (http://w3.whosea.org/en/Section10/Section18/Section349.htm) Founded in 1983, The National Association of People with AIDS advocates on behalf of all people living with HIV and AIDS in order to end the human suffering caused by HIV/AIDS. They are the oldest national AIDS organization in the United States and the oldest national network of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world. Over 80% of their staff are people of color, and women living with HIV hold senior staff positions at NAPWA. The majority of their staff members are people living with HIV. Their Board of Directors is equally diverse, providing representation of the many communities impacted by the epidemic. The vast majority of Board Members are also HIV positive. These dedicated and hard working people make NAPWA unique among national AIDS organizations. They offer many programs, including important conferences and training sessions throughout the year, including the Leadership Training Institute, Helping Communities Build Leadership, the Ryan White National Youth Conference on HIV and AIDS, and Staying Alive, NAPWA's national conference for people living with AIDS and HIV. The target population for this group is anybody with AIDS, but also those at risk. Like stated before, nearly 30 million people, including over 2.