Bob Skinner taught me that living with AIDS is an expensive adventure if you do not have the proper help. The medications cost a fortune but there is help for purchasing these drugs. He told me that living with AIDS is a life changing experience, you need to change everything. To be healthy and live with AIDS you must take your cocktail of medications, exercise, and eat right. He explained some of the side effects that come with taking the medication and how some people avoid taking the drugs because of the side effects.
Bob's experience is probably very similar to those living in developed countries because aid is available and more and more people are starting to understand how AIDS works. When it comes to developing countries his experience was far different. In developing countries an AIDS diagnosis is a death sentence because the country does not have the resources to provide medication to people and there is less education to inform people on what they can do to prevent and help slow down the process of AIDS. Also in other areas the stigma related to AIDS is different in some cultures if you contracted AIDS you would probably be completely abandoned by people.
HIV transmission in rural areas is spread primarily through heterosexual means. The social factors limiting its prevention are that AIDS is a gay related disease so heterosexuals are less likely to use protection and be aware of the risk they are taking.
Living in a rural area makes HIV difficult to treat because they are far away from health care. The people that live in rural areas are often poor and have a low education so they are unaware of the risks involved with HIV and how to prevent its spread.
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You bring up a good point about the misconception that HIV/AIDS is a gay-related virus, which would definitely increase the rates of transmission in heterosexual populations. In rural countries as well, it's also about male control in sexual relationships. The woman can't ask her partner to wear a contraceptive for fear of being accused of cheating or for not trusting him. Both of these factors greatly limit the prevention of HIV transmission.
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