Critical Thinking

Posted: August 5th, 2013

Critical Thinking

Vulnerability in terms of age

In most parts of the world, HIV/AIDS is a great menace to the development of the children. This epidemic affects the children directly and indirectly. Those indirectly affected are the ones that lose their parents, guardians and siblings through HIV/AIDS sickness. Many children become infected through their mothers during breast feeding, delivery or pregnancy. They can also be infected by blood transfusion or injecting drug abuse by sharing of the syringes. Measures are therefore taken to prevent mother to child transmission and to ensure blood safety so that HIV/AIDS prevalence rate among the infants is reduced. The government also issues syringes to the drug addicts to prevent sharing that could spread HIV/AIDS. The older people mostly contract HIV/AIDS due to having unprotected sex with multiple sex partners. They also face some factors that the young infected people do not face such as accepting their current health condition. They usually get depressed and less focused on joining support groups (Aday, 2003).

There is a high frequency of testing for the virus in the black’s high schools. The African Americans always turn out to be the most infected followed by the Hispanics then the Native Americans follow by a lower percentage. Most tested people that turn out positive are usually unaware that they had the virus. This case is usually common among the African Americans. Multiple sexual relationships and short-term sexual relationships increase the risk of HIV infection among the youths. However, a measure such as practicing honesty, abstinence and use of contraceptives such as condoms helps reduce this risk among the youths and other people. In addition, an honest and open communication about HIV/AIDS between a parent and his child will help the child make wise decisions in life. This will in turn prevent the infection of this disease (Fan, Conner & Villarreal, 2004).