Pippa Corbett answered
The spread of HIV/Aids can be described as a social problem because of the way that the disease can affect people's lives.
The perception of infected people has improved due to increased awareness and education, but sufferers of HIV and Aids are still commonly stigmatized.
The social problems associated with having HIV/Aids Finding out that you have HIV is an incredibly terrifying experience, as people tend to be very scared of contracting diseases like HIV (and rightly so, I'd say).
However, this fear can affect the way we view and treat people who have unfortunately been affected by the virus.
During the main outbreak of the HIV/Aids in the 1980s, respected members of society (like politicians and church leaders) openly stigmatized people who had contracted the disease. This lead to a climate of fear and mistrust towards people suffering from the ailment
Because HIV was a problem prevalent within the gay community, many people began associating HIV with homosexuality. Some even went as far as to say that the disease was a 'justified punishment from God'.
This kind of narrow-mindedness has led to society holding a negative view of HIV patients, that still exists to this day.
If you're infected with HIV, even in a supposedly 'socially-developed' country like the US or Canada, you may still struggle to find employment and avoid discrimination.
That's why I think HIV/Aids is as much a social problem as it is a health condition.
The perception of infected people has improved due to increased awareness and education, but sufferers of HIV and Aids are still commonly stigmatized.
The social problems associated with having HIV/Aids Finding out that you have HIV is an incredibly terrifying experience, as people tend to be very scared of contracting diseases like HIV (and rightly so, I'd say).
However, this fear can affect the way we view and treat people who have unfortunately been affected by the virus.
During the main outbreak of the HIV/Aids in the 1980s, respected members of society (like politicians and church leaders) openly stigmatized people who had contracted the disease. This lead to a climate of fear and mistrust towards people suffering from the ailment
Because HIV was a problem prevalent within the gay community, many people began associating HIV with homosexuality. Some even went as far as to say that the disease was a 'justified punishment from God'.
This kind of narrow-mindedness has led to society holding a negative view of HIV patients, that still exists to this day.
If you're infected with HIV, even in a supposedly 'socially-developed' country like the US or Canada, you may still struggle to find employment and avoid discrimination.
That's why I think HIV/Aids is as much a social problem as it is a health condition.
