blem." The purpose of this paper is to examine AIDS as a social problem in greater depth. The discussion first looks at the current status of people living with HIV/AIDS. It then goes on to discuss aspects of AIDS as a social problem including discrimination, lack of adequate healthcare, and psychoemotional considerations. The paper ends with a series of recommendations for helping to resolve the problem.
Current Status of the Problem: Experiences of People living With AIDS
Bullers (2001) reviews the current status of Americans living with HIV/AIDS in America. Noting that when the disease was discovered in 1981, and as it began to grow to epidemic proportions, public fears were high and not unrealistically so, given that in two decades, AIDS has indeed become what Bullers terms "a 21st century plague." In this regard, Bullers reports that 22 million people have died due to the HIV virus rendering their immune system defenseless. Bullers further notes that a true cure has not yet been found and the financial, political and social issues surrounding AIDS are growing more complex.
However, some progress has been made, most especially in the early 1990s when public hysteria was shown to have significantly lessened and prevention and lobbying campaigns grew to full maturity. Further, medical research has and is continu
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