Social..Cultural..Economic Factors Affecting Spread Hiv/Aids

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1. Social/ Cultural/ Economic factors contribute immensely to the increased spread of HIV/AIDS in our communities. Discuss in details this statement stating the various social/cultural/Economic factors and how they contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS. Social/ Cultural/ Economic factors contribute immensely to the increased spread of HIV/AIDS. This is so because a society may be illustrated as an economic (trade between people and monetary worth of individuals), social, industrial or cultural (beliefs and/or practices) infrastructure, made up of, yet distinct from, a varied collection of individuals. In this regard society can mean the objective relationships people have with the material world and with other people, rather than "other people" beyond the individual and their familiar social environment. For instance individuals who are well off have access to education and health and thus are less prone to the negative effects of diseases in general. A summary of the social/cultural and economic factors and their contribution to HIV/AIDS proliferation is as follows: Social mobility: more people are traveling and working away from home nowadays. HIV/AIDS follows the routes of trade and commerce (UNAIDS & WHO, 2007). Men have sex with prostitutes, contract HIV and return home to their wives, who contract HIV and pass it along to their infants in utero or through breast milk. Stigma and denial (UNAIDS & WHO, 2007): Denial and silence regarding HIV are the norm. People with HIV are stigmatized for many reasons: HIV is a slow, incurable disease, resulting in illness and death. HIV is considered a death sentence and people often do not understand how HIV is spread and are irrationally afraid of acquiring it from those infected. HIV transmission is often associated with violations of social morals concerning sexual relations, so people with HIV are tainted
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