Psychology2016

416 CHAPTER 10

transmitted through saliva; the women studied in this report all had sores or inflammations

in their mouths, or the infants had cuts associated with teething in their mouths (Guar, 2008).

By the end of the year 2014, the number of estimated cases of AIDS in the United States

had reached well over half a million people (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

2014). More than 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV, and nearly

13 percent of those people are unaware of their infection status. However, this number is

probably a vast underestimate, as many HIV infections remain undiagnosed or unreported.

Tre a t m e n t s h a v e i m p ro v e d g re a t l y o v e r t h e p a s t d e c a d e , i n c re a s i n g t h e l if e e x p e c-

tancy of people with HIV or AIDS (Centers for Disease Control, 2013). Highly active

antiretroviral therapy, or HAART for short, is a powerful “cocktail” of at least three and

sometimes more medications aimed at reducing the virus in the blood so that it is no

longer detectable. While it is not a cure, this treatment can delay progression from HIV to

AIDS and improve immune system health (Cohen et al., 2011; Dieffenbach & Fauci, 2011).

In other cultures, AIDS is also taking a devastating toll. The most heavily hit areas in

the world right now are the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, where an estimated 24.7 million

people were living with HIV at the end of 2013—nearly three fourths of the total HIV infec-

tions in the world (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS [UNAIDS], 2014). In

2013, 1.1 million people died from AIDS in these countries (UNAIDS, 2009). The Applying

Psychology in Everyday Life section at the end of this chapter examines the course of AIDS

in Russia—a region that is quickly becoming another AIDS “hot spot.”

Practice Quiz How much do you remember?

Pick the best answer.

1. Which of the following is NOT a sexually transmitted infection?
   a. syphilis
   b. gonorrhea
   c. candidiasis
   d. chlamydia


2. Which STI, if left untreated, can cause pelvic inflammatory disorder?
   a. syphilis
   b. gonorrhea
   c. candidiasis
   d. chlamydia
   3. The human papillomavirus or HPV is the cause of ____ in
   both men and women.
   a. chlamydia c. genital warts
   b. syphilis d. AIDS
   4. Which of the following ways can the human immunodeficiency virus
   be passed along to another person?
   a. kissing
   b. exposure to an infected person’s tears
   c. exposure to an infected person’s saliva
   d. exposure to an infected person’s blood

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

infections spread through unprotected sexual contact (see Table 10.1)

caused by a viral infection, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

onset often associated with opportunistic infections

has no known cure, can affect females and males of all sexual

orientations, and continues to impact cultures world-wide

affect sex organs or have broader,

life-threatening effects

bacterial infections may be treatable with antibiotics

if caught early; viruses are difficult to treat and may

be incurable

acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)

Concept Map L.O. 10.9

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