Theories of HIV Crossing to Humans

The two theories I'm going to compare is the 'Hunter' theory and the conspiracy theory.  There are huge differences in these two theories.  The hunter theory says that HIV came from chimps that had SIV which is similar to HIV. HIV is a new virus that evolved from the SIV.  The transfer came from Hunters in Africa that hunted these chimps and got infected by having the chimps blood infect the hunters via a wound or small cut.

The conspiracy theory is nothing like the hunter theory.  The conspiracy theory thinks that the US government made the virus as a  biochemical weapon to kill African American and homosexuals.  This different from the hunter theory in that it doesn't even take into account SIV even though HIV and SIV are genetically very similar hinting that they have a common ancestor in the near past.  

The hunter theory seems the most plausible to me.  It seems the most likely and it has genetics to back it up.  

The only reason I think it is important to see how HIV got transferred to humans are medical.  It might help to find treatments and drugs to combat the virus if everything is learned about the virus.  As for to address the disease today I really don't see much importance to it.  However it happen it did and we must look at a solution to the problem.  

White Privilege

The article of white privilege was interesting.  I agree with a great majority of it.  Racism has never been really taught or described as a certain group of people of having privileges.  Its true that people think that it only about individuals being rude or mean to other people because of race. One point I agree with specifically is that as a white person, the person doesn't have to speak for their whole culture.  I see that in a lot when ever a minority does something great. They alway talk about how they are representing their culture or being the first.  White people never have to be labeled in such ways.  I really don't disagree with anything.  It everything has roots in truth even thought they are a little over generalized.

Privilege plays a role in the spread and prevention of Aids/HIV in heterosexual privilege.  As a heterosexual, I have many privileges.  I'm looked as normal and not an at risk person of having Aids.  I can give blood and not be denied by institutions such as the red cross.  

The privilege of white power I also receive just by being an American.  I have the resources and education to control Aids.  Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa don't have that because they have been exploited by "white countries" during the colonial period.  That has facilitated Aids to spread and to not be controlled.

As a society, we need to look at these problems from a global scale.  Sexual health is one of those issues that needs to be looked at from the bigger perspective that some groups of people are privileged over others.

Aids/HIV Knowledge

I know that HIV is a virus that causes Aids. HIV is a virus that attacks our immune by entering our T-Cells and using them to replicate and then destroy the cell. After a while, most of these cells die make the body immune system week and vulnerable to almost anything that can get us sick. At this stage it is known as Aids because the effects of the virus can be seen. Infection is very easy to obtain and the body inability to fight of infection causes the person to die. The virus can be transmitted sexually or by exchange of blood from person to person. I know that it can be prevented through the use of condoms and of not mixing blood. There are also drugs that helps with making Aids patients live longer. These drugs are super expensive. I work at a pharmacy and I've seen some drugs run for over a thousand dollars without insurance.

I accumulated this information through out the years. They came mostly from school in the health classes. My first exposure to Aids was in 5th grade. We had a teacher that was very passionate about teaching the subject. Throughout the years I have gotten more and more in depth information.

I want to learn more about what new methods are being developing to prevent Aids. New drugs or treatments and how they are being used at a global scale also interest me and I want to learn more them.

What has already surprised me is the theories of how Aids started. For some reason, I have never come across that sort of information. The video on Wednesday presented information on how the disease could have come from chimps and that it got transfer to humuns by the hunting of these chimps in central Africa. The video was very graphic on the footage of the dead chimps that hunted. A butcher or some hunter got infected with a strand of the virus that was adapted enough to get transfered to humans. I didn't know that the virus had existed in chimps for quite some time but the transfer to humans was only sometime in the 1930's.

Global Disparities in STI

Global disparities in STI has a great deal to do with classism. The poor seem to be at a disadvantage with STI's and the rich don't seem to have as great a problem with it.  If the whole world is taken into account, it can be broken up into three classes.  First, second and third world countries.  The same can be done with our country in lower, middle and upper class.  The slides in class with the maps showing the prevalence of STI in different parts of the world presented information to support that classism effects STI prevalence around the world.  The third world countries had much more prevalence than those first world countries.  Areas such as sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia were the most effected.

The reason for this can be because of lack of resources and education.  People in these countries don't know about the diseases because the education system is not there to support them in an efficient way.  They don't know the symptoms of the diseases and how to prevent them.  This facilitates the rapid spread of the disease.  They unknowingly go with their normal business not knowing that they are spreading disease. Even if they do know how to prevent or cure STI's, these people may not have the resources to obtain medication or condoms to prevent the disease.

I think my USA perspective on STI's is different than those around the world.  Our education system fairly good in that we have health classes so that we know about STI's.  If we don't know, we can easily go to a doctor to get checked out.  In other parts of the world, that is not so easy.  The availability of medication is also easy because I can go to a pharmacy and have a prescription filled.  The availability of condoms is really easy.  I was actually surprised on how easy anyone can get condoms here on campus.  Prevention is not really an issue.  My look on STI's is that it preventable and some cases treatable.  I don't have to worry too much because I'm aware of it.  In other countries it is different.  People might not know about STI's or if they do, they are scared because they know they might not be able to do anything about it.

I do think that these same causes of disease even happen here in the USA.  Lower classes might not have the education about STI's and the resources to cure or prevent them.  I know of people who might not even go to the doctor because they can't afford it and they rather tough it out.  This is not STI's but general heath problems.  When it gets too bad or feel they are going to die, they seek help but it might be to late to save them or too expensive.

Classism has a great effect on the spread of disease and our look on them.  In poor populations it seems that disease spread fast while in better off population the problems doesn't seem as bad.