Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease that causes progressive immune suppression, as stated by Bullock. It is one of the leading fatal diseases in the whole world. There is still no known cure for this disease. AIDS is not the only sexually transmitted disease or STD. Among the most common are Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Syphilis. According to Bullock, an STD can be caused by bacteria, fungi, viral, protozoal, and parasitic organisms, transferred from one infected person to another by vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse, most especially when it is unprotected.
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In the year 1981, AIDS was first acknowledged as a disease in the United States and ever since then the number of infected individuals seem to grow every year. Measures to prevent spread of the disease are still continuously being implemented. However, this cannot ensure an AIDS free world.
In 2006, there is an estimated 298,754,819 people living in the United States, as seen on the US Census Bureau website. At this same year, 448,871 people are infected with AIDS, 44% of whom are the Black Americans, 35 % are white, 19% are Hispanic, and the remaining 1% is composed of different races. There are more men affected by AIDS, they cover 77% of the total AIDS infected population, as reported by AVERT.org.
As for the STD figures also seen on AVERT.org, Chlamydia infects the most at an alarming rate of 1,030,911, Gonorrhea affects 358,366, and Syphilis 36,935.
Idaho, the thirteenth largest state in the USA, has a population estimate in 2006 of 1,466,465, according to the US Census Bureau. Not being spared from the ruthlessness of AIDS and STD, there is an estimated 569 people with AIDS, 87 % are male. Men who have sexual contact with men, is the leading cause of this disease, 53% of whom blame this for acquisition. As for the females, 48% got AIDS through heterosexual contact. Of the 569 people infected with AIDS, 88% of them are of the white race, 8% are Hispanic, 2% are black, 1% is Asian/Pacific Islander, and another 1% is American Indian.
Idaho STD statistics show that there are 12 with Syphilis, 206 with Gonorrhea, and 3,345 with Chlamydia, as reported by the Idaho department of health and welfare.
Comparing national statistics to a state’s figures, we see clearly that 0.04% of the US population is coming Idaho. There is a big discrepancy when it comes to those affected by AIDS, as we can see the large number of AIDS infected people across the United States in 2006, there are only 569 people in Idaho with that disease. Idaho AIDS cases are 0.06% of the total cases reported in the US. It can be concluded from this data that Idaho has a very small population of AIDS infected people. As for infected races, nationally, black people comprise the majority of those with AIDS, but for Idaho, the white race has a staggering 88%. Nationally and for Idaho, both have more males affected as compared to females.
As for the STD comparison, we see the same trend in terms of which STD affects most people. Nationally, Chlamydia infected the most number of US citizens, and the same goes for Idaho. All over the country, there are 1,030,911 infected with Chlamydia, 3,345 of these come from Idaho. Gonorrhea comes in second, affecting 358,336 nationally, 206 of which are found in Idaho. Lastly, Syphilis infected 36,935 US citizens, 12 of which reside in Idaho.
In conclusion, there is little difference in the trends and statistics nationally across the US and in Idaho. What we see here is that AIDS and STDs really do affect people of all ages, races, and gender. It is not just a national problem; it affects people around the world. Although there is still no cure for AIDS, prevention is still the best answer we have for now.
References
AVERTing HIV and AIDS. (11 June 2008). United States Statistics Summary. Retrieved June 13, 2008, from http://www.avert.org/statsum.htm
Bullock, B. and Henze, R. (2000). Focus on Pathophysiology. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. (2008). 2006 Idaho HIV/AIDS Epidemiologic Profile. Retrieved June 13, 2008, from http://www.healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/DesktopModules/DocumentsSortable/DocumentsSrtView.aspx?tabID=0&ItemID=2879&MId=11121&wversion=Staging
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. (2008). Idaho Reported Sexually Transmitted Disease, 2006. Retrieved June 13, 2008, from http://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/DesktopModules/DocumentsSortable/DocumentsSrtView.aspx?tabID=0&ItemID=4792&MId=11121&wversion=Staging
US Census Bureau. (2007). United States – States Population Estimates. Retrieved June 13, 2008, from http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-T1&-ds_name=PEP_2007_EST&-_lang=en&-format=US-9&-_sse=on
