A look at the Origin, Stigma/Discrimination and Government Involvement with AIDS in the United States of America and African Countries

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Katelin Taylor

April 22, 2011

Second Hist 145 Paper

714287771

AIDS

Anyone can have it, Internationally feared, Deadliest Sickness

 A look at the Origin, Stigma/Discrimination and Government Involvement with AIDS in the United States of America and African Countries

        Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, AIDS, is now known as being one of the most deadliest and incurable viruses in the world.  AIDS snuck into America in the beginning of the 1980’s, then exploded in what seemed a matter of moments. America would soon learn that this was not just a health problem in the “immoral” cul-de-sacs of American but an international epidemic affecting all types of life.  Today’s youth see’s a constant fight in curing and eliminating AIDS around the world; however, this has not always been the case.  AIDS has been most publicized in the United States and African countries. This paper will compare the origin of AIDS, the stigma and discrimination of AIDS and the government involvement with AIDS in the United States and African countries.

        Individuals who first appeared with AIDS in America during the early 1980’s were diagnosed with Pneumocystis Pneumonia (PCP), which is usually found in people with poor immune systems.   However these individuals who were sick did not have poor immune system, but the individuals were homosexuals.  As more and more homosexual males appeared to have the disease, it became labeled as GRID (gay related immune deficiency).         People with AIDS were growing rapidly in America and majority of the time they would fall into one or more of the four H’s groups. The four H’s were homosexuals, heroin users, hemophiliacs and Haitians; even though there were numerous cases were people did not fall into one of these categories.   Soon individuals from the Center of Disease Control (CDC) were informed that cases with similar symptoms were being found in Africa.  

        When CDC members went Africa they saw that not just homosexuals, heroin users, hemophiliacs, and Haitians but also heterosexuals, but women and children suffering from the same symptoms as Americans who the mysterious disease.  This is when members of the CDC realized that that this disease could infect everyone and a sense of urgency took over. Before scientist could solve this horrible disease, they had to first figure out where the disease came from and how it is spread. It was determined that the disease came Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which is believed to come from a type of Simian Immunodeficiency disease that was found in chimpanzees and monkeys. The theory is that Sub-Saharan African hunter and gathering society’s got the Simian Immunodeficiency when they killed chimpanzees for food; the virus matured in hunting and gathering society and then expanded when the small societies became more urbanized.    The virus can only be passed through sexual intercourse, blood transfusion, and birth. The origin of AIDS is small hunting gathering societies located in Sub-Saharan Africa, but this virus became an international threat through travel, sharing medical needles, unsafe intercourse, and drug use.

        Even though the AIDS virus could be transferred to anyone, that did not stop AIDS from developing a high level of stigma and discrimination. Homosexuals, heroin users, hemophiliacs and Haitians (the Four H’s) were seen as infected outcast of society.   Since the beginning of the AIDS pandemic, homosexuals have been associated with this disease.  The AIDS virus was nicknamed “Gay Related Immune Deficiency”, “the gay plague”, or “gay cancer” after the outbreak begun. Homosexual men were singled out for this disease because the media needed a scapegoat and since homosexuals were already discriminated against they were the prefect candidates. They faced discrimination in their personal and professional life.   To make matter worse, America did not reach out to help homosexuals with AIDS, because this immoral sin was receiving a punishment from God. Heroin users also fell under the “immoral sinners” umbrella and their punishment was the result of using the same needle when they would “shoot up” heroin.   By saying that AIDS was the result from immoral actions, Americans did not see the urgency in finding a cure.

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        The third H, hemophiliacs, was innocent victims of the AIDS virus, but that did not mean that they did not suffer discrimination.  The CDC motioned for blood banks to refuse accepting blood from people with AIDS in order to stop the spread of the virus, but this motioned was overlooked.  Men, women, and children receiving blood were at risk of getting the AIDS virus.  One of the most famous hemophiliacs who had AIDS because of blood transfusion was Ryan White. He was banned from going to school, like many other children, because of the fear that physical contact could catch ...

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This essay covers the main points well, and makes a number of good arguments. It could be improved by taking a more analytical approach to why the US and Africa differed in their approach, and what effects this had in the progress of the epidemic. 4 stars.