Meaning making and psychological well-being of individuals living with human immunodeficiency virus (el. knyga) (skaityta knyga) | knygos.lt

Aprašymas

INTRODUCTION

1.1. HIV/AIDS - A Historical Perspective

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is known to be a leading cause of adult deaths in the

world (Narain, 2004). The first cases of AIDS were noticed in homosexual men in the United States

in 1981. The causal agent, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) was identified in 1983 (Fahey &

Flemmig, 1996). HIV appears to have started spreading rapidly in the late 1970s or early 1980s in

America, Australia and Western Europe. In 1982, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the USA

formally defined the epidemic as 'Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome' (AIDS) (Alcorn, 1999).

As is well known, HIV transmission occurs mainly through contact with bodily fluids. Unprotected

sex and injecting drug use where needles are shared are the main routes of transmission (Alcorn,

l 999; Fahey & Flemmig, 1996). AIDS is the end-stage outcome of the HIV infection (Fahey & Flemmig,

1996). A decrease in the CD4+T helper cells is, in fact, a bona fide marker of overall disease

progression (Smith, 1998).

HIV infection and AIDS disease have been a global concern for almost three decades now. Although

the epidemic was first identified in United States most of the new infections now occur in

developing countries (Narain, 2004). These countries are least equipped to respond to the challenge

effectively (Alemnji, Nkengasong, & Parekh, 2011; Grant & De Cock, 1998). Even after 30 years of

its arrival AIDS still continues to be a life-threatening disease and those infected by HIV

continue to be stigmatised and ostracised. It still continues to be the concern of millions of

people. The UNAIDS Joint

United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS states that in 2002 a total of 3.1 million people worldwide

died of AIDS, which is the highest number of deaths registered in any year since the epidemic

started (UNAIDS Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS [UNAIDS], (2002).

1.2.HIV/AIDS Epidemic in India

HIV epidemic has really become a huge challenge in the country since the first case was detected in

Tamil Nadu in 1986 (Sharma, 2009). Based on the available data, the number of HIV infected persons

went up from 3.5 million in 1998 to over 5.2 million,