国際バカロレア英語小論文

第1話 Do not Underestimate HIV

Recent decades, the number of HIV patient is dramatically increasing. American HIV research suggests that approximately 1200 thousand people are living with HIV in the USA which is twice more people compared with the 1980s, and 5 times more people are dying with AIDS compared with 1990 level. Why is the number of HIV patient and AIDS patient are increasing? What is the effect and how can it be prevented? In this article, I will write details about HIV and AIDS to raise its awareness.

Before we discuss the effects, I will explain what is HIV and AIDS. The word “HIV” stands for “Human Immunodeficiency Virus”. HIV attacks the cell in the immune system which is our body’s natural defence against illness. The virus destroys a type of white blood cell called a CD4 cell. As HIV destroys more CD4 cells, it gradually weakens a person’s immune system. This means that someone who has HIV will find it harder to protest against infections and diseases. After a latency period of 6 years to 15 years, the HIV patients can potentially be “Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)” patient. Hence, AIDS is a set of symptoms caused by HIV. In this last stage of HIV, the infection is very advanced so it is impossible to treat with current medical technology.

Although, how can people become a HIV patient? You can get infected with HIV from anyone who’s infected. The blood, semen, and breast milk of people infected with HIV have enough of the virus in it to infect other people. Most people get the HIV by having sex with an infected person, sharing a needle for drug injection and being born when their mother is infected. Some people say that HIV can be transferred by saliva, sweat or urine, but this is not true and this is a hard stereotype because there is no fact that HIV can be transferred by these body fluids. However, it is fewer people who develop HIV into AIDS because of the widespread of treatment for HIV.

The symptoms of AIDS include loss of weight, night sweat, purple blotches, high fever, dementia, excess fatigue and increased vulnerability of cancer. But these physical effects are not the only symptoms. In a non-fiction movie “Fatal Love”, a girl who is AIDS patient called Alison Gertz had an extreme fear. The fear refers to death and hard stereotypes such as nurses wearing masks and gloves and decreased contact with her friends. Therefore, it can be said that it is not only the physical effects since there are social effects such as stereotypes.

HIV is a strong virus that can not be cured in the current. But by having an HIV-positive test, use of a condom, and checking HIV condition with the partner, the HIV hence, AIDS can be prevented.

In conclusion, HIV is a disease that can not be cured, so it is important that to learn appropriate knowledge for preventing it and treat the stereotype against it. If you underestimate this, the potential of your death and your partner’s death is waiting.