AIDS GLOSSARY
* AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, a
disease that destroys the body's immune system and exposes victims to
infections, some types of cancer and degeneration of the nervous system.
* ARC: AIDS-Related Complex. A condition that
precedes full-blown AIDS. Symptoms include rapid weight loss, swollen
glands and chronic fatigue.
* HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus. The virus that
causes AIDS.
* NIR: No identifiable risk group. In the early
1980s, this meant anyone who wasn't homosexual, a user of intravenous
drugs, a hemophiliac or Haitian. Researchers now have found that AIDS
can be spread through heterosexual contact, and that Haitians are at
no greater risk than other nationalities.
THE
PACE OF AN EPIDEMIC |
|
The number of AIDS cases
diagnosed year by year: |
|
The Glades |
Florida |
The United States |
|
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990 |
1
4
6
29
31
45
63
78
76
3 |
17
88
222
430
820
1,281
2,138
2,707
*2,431
NA |
297
1,076
2,932
5,916
11,017
17,685
25,900
29,494
*21,032
NA |
|
|
|
|
*Through November
The Glades: The Glades: Pahokee, South Bay, Canal
Point, Belle Glade
Sources: Department of Health and Rehabilitative
Services, U.S. Centers for Disease Control
*part 1
*part 1 sidebar: Fear Forces Many to
Conceal Disease
*part 2
*part 2 sidebar: 'Lot of Sex Out
There; Just Name it, They Do it'
*top |
