Fighting Global Diseases. HIV AIDS

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Fighting Global Diseases — HIV/AIDS

Since the first time when the first case of acquired immunodeficiency virus syndrome (AIDS) was reported in a clinic in Los Angeles, 5th of June 1981 has remained historic to this date. From that moment when the first case was reported in the city of California as a result of five young men who were having sex with men (MSM) were tested and found to be having an odd immune system, several other cases were reported of all over the United States (Derose, Kathryn 19). These cases went ahead to call for research to find out what the disease was and if possible, look for its cure. Unfortunately, to this moment, the disease can only be controlled but not cured. The pandemic not only affected the immune system of its victims but also gave room for the development of opportunistic diseases that led to deaths of the affected. Upon its discovery from the five young men and the other cases that were reported thereafter, the epidemic was found to affect not only MSM but also heterosexuals as well as mother to child transmission through untainted blood. Several years of research into the disease led to the discovery that Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was the reason that people were being affected by AIDS (Wesley 13). This enabled the researchers to conduct vital blood tests to try and find out if they could detect the origin of the virus. Through these researches as well as tests that were carried out, the United States government gave permission to the researchers of the time adequate support to try and come up with mechanisms with which the pandemic could be controlled, since its cure had not yet been discovered, as well as prevented. As such, the government made efforts to come up with test treatment and interventions of prevention and has since spent many billions of dollars to finance programs that can help prolong life-spans of the affected.

Three decades down the line and the United States government is still struggling with the pandemic. By the year 2009, the state had established that close to 1.148 million people were living with the virus (HIV). Of this population, the age gap of the affected was between the ages of 13 years and the aged as illustrated by Wagner. One year later and the rate of infections were reported to be more than 47,000 people per year and this rate of infection was found to be spreading more among vulnerable groups, which included mainly homosexuals or MSM and injection drug users (IDUs) ((Battle et al 20). By 2010, the percentage of those infected was estimated to be; homosexuals at 61%, injection drug users at 8%, homosexuals and injection drug users at 3%, leaving the remainder of the infected at 25% (heterosexuals). Although IDUs make up a small percentage of 2.6 of the entire United States population, this percentage constitutes of the overall 22% of all people living with the virus with the numbers changing yearly. Latest statistics have shown that the number of people living with the pandemic is on the increase. This has been attributed to the fact that many young people, whose births came after the initial HIV/AIDS scare, are ignorant and tend to live without fear of the pandemic. This is because many of these young people believe that the government has control of the disease. Due to this ignorance, the latest statistics reveal that 16% of all Americans or roughly 1.1 million people are living with the disease ((Wesley 22). The United States government has been on the fore front in combating this disease, it is globally perceived to be the largest national funder of programs that are geared towards fighting the disease. However, there are ways that this pandemic can be effectively put into control. The government has to ensure that it impartially provides all the required information to all the vulnerable groups that are at risk of infections. Through the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, established by President Obama, the government aims to reduce HIV related infections urgently, address different cases of HIV related imbalances, bring close and better health provision to people living with HIV, and work on coordination programs that will improve Inter-state Corporation for HIV victims. In order to achieve all these, the government has to first conduct an analysis of the people mostly affected by the disease; work on the prevention mechanisms of the disease, come up with educative ways to ensure that information concerning the disease is known, conduct thorough HIV testing, treat and care the disease as well as fight stigma and discrimination among the American people.

Since its early stages, HIV/AIDS has been known to affect vulnerable groups in the society. This group of people included homosexuals, hemophiliacs, and IDUs. Due to the changes that are inevitably unending, this group is continuously changing. Latest studies show that vulnerability is more (four times high) in heterosexuals in neighborhoods that are poor than in all other groups. In addition to this, young people have fallen victim to this group. However, this has been attributed mostly to a person’s sexual network in comparison to any other factors. The risk of getting infected with the disease was highly associated with an individual’s access to healthcare, imprisonment, HIV prevalence as well as the speed towards substance abuse (Wesley 33).

African Americans have been found to be the most affected (46%) with the disease as a result of engaging in unprotected sex. In addition, many in this group abuse drugs and inject themselves, which plays another saddening part in their high rate of infection (Battle et al. 45).  The spread of the disease among this race has been as a result of high poverty levels, stigma, and limited access to healthcare facilities that have been the characterizing factor among homosexuals in the African American community. Hispanics/Latinos constitute 17% of the American population, out of these, 22% of them are infected with HIV/AIDS. This percentage of people living with HIV/AIDS among the Hispanics/Latinos has been known to result from unprotected sex among men. According to a research released in 2011, 79% of all HIV/AIDS cases among this group resulted from gay sex, while 11% came from heterosexuals. The remaining numeral came from sharing needles in drug users (Wagner 28).

In a research released in 2011, homosexuals or men who have relations with men (MSM) were found to be the most affected. This group constituted of 65% of all cases of HIV/AIDS infection in the year 2011. This group faces a higher exposure risk than any other since the epidemic has been recorded to gradually increase among them. As a result, the rate of transmission has hit its all-time high (McNamara 89). The reason for this high rate of infection has been associated with unprotected sex (anal), sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as well as multiple partners among homosexuals. Sadly, only 66% of homosexuals know their HIV status leaving the remaining 34% unaware and at a high risk of infection to/from others leading to deteriorating health among members of this group. The rate of new infections among drug addicts who use injections was found to be 8%.   People who inject drugs (PWID) as they are commonly known account for 16% of all people living with HIV/AIDS. The majority come from the African American race.

Despite young Americans living in ignorance, the 2011 HIV/AIDS data that was released showed that 21% young people in America living between the ages of 13-24 were newly infected with the disease. According to these statistics, the current trend of infection is not very different from earlier trends observed among vulnerable groups (Wagner 58). The reason behind this increase among young people has been unprotected sex and needle sharing among drug users, yet only 40% of those living with the disease know their status.

In order to achieve its aim of combating the pandemic, the government through its National HIV/AIDS Strategy has come up with three national parts that ensures a decline in the rate of new HIV/AIDS infections amongst its people. These parts have been put in place to advocate HIV prevention in areas where the epidemic has spread wide in the country. An illustration by Battle et al shows that contrary to the approach of using condoms while engaging in sex (both in MSM or heterosexuals), learning or going for HIV testing, the government has implemented a new way. In this new way, the government is insisting on prevention, combination as well as overlapping as approaches that work better that the former i.e. use of condoms. This latter approach, having been thoroughly researched on, have proved to be more efficient and can be used to prevent infection in groups such as MSM, IDUs, Hispanics/Latinos as well as African Americans.

The use of antiretroviral treatment has been known to reduce of further transmission of HIV, through this, the rate of new infections is significantly lowered. This method is referred to as treatment as prevention (TsaP). As McNamara explains, globally, the United State government has been the first to introduce such a strategy to its patients and July of 2012 saw the government approve a bill that allows the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis as a preventive method of new infection. Furthermore, the government has made it legal for Truvada to be used among MSMs and more attention is now given to people who are positively living with HIV and states that “prevention for people who are HIV positive is critical to reducing new HIV infections”

Another way that the government is using to stop further infections of HIV among its citizens is prevention through the target. In this way all health authorities are strongly increasing personal role of all people in their social determinant of health. These determinants; living environment, age, race, access to health services as well as class have been found to play a part in the rate of infections. In various parts of the U.S, several communities have been known to take part in education programs that highlight the aged on HIV infections (Nweze et al. 30). HIV prevention through targeting the affected is a strategy that has been proved to effectively reduce the rates of new infections. In addition to this, several campaigns such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CPC) have been known to have more than one campaign that are aimed at breaking from the cultural beliefs concerning HIV/AIDS. Examples of these campaigns are “Testing Makes Us Stronger” & “Take Charge. Take the Test.”

Sex education plays a very important role in minimizing the rate of new infections among Americans, especially the young people. There are various types and levels of education programs that educate the youth about HIV and AIDS in various colleges and universities all over the United States that depends on state regulations. According to Derose & Kathryn, some of these programs have education on sex and therein compulsory information about HIV. In 1996, the government passed Welfare Reform Law that was aimed at encouraging people to abstain from sex until marriage. Having being found ineffective, 2009 saw the passing of a law that could replace abstinence only education, the state instead passed a “prove they delay sexual activity, increase contraceptives use and reduce teen pregnancy.”

More than half the population of American adults knows their HIV status. This percentage, 54%, is the only sure group that knows whether they are infected or not leaving the remaining 46% unaware of whether or not they are infected or not. According to statistics, 57% of the remaining 46% do not think they have to know their status because they think they are not at risk of getting infected with the virus (Nweze et al. 36). Broken down to race, white Americans are the least to consider knowing their HIV status compared to African Americans as well as Latinos/Hispanics. This has been seen from the frequent visits that the latter two groups make to HIV testing centers compared to the former. By 2010, it was found out that despite regular visits by the Hispanic/Latinos and African Americans to the health centers, a percentage of them (32%) were found to be diagnosed a year later after knowing their status (Hunter, Susan and Donald 56). According to a publishing made in 2006, HIV testing was made automatic to all who visited any health care facility. However, an option was given to all those who did not wish to know their status.

In 2011 alone, after making HIV testing automatic to all who visited health facilities, there was an increase in reported cases of infections from 69-93% with 79% of them being women and 85% men. With the release of the FDA HIV-1 that detects antibiotics and antigens of both HIV-1 and HIV-2, diagnosis has been made simple to every one who wants to know their status. By this process of detecting antigens, the HIV virus is able to be diagnosed earlier enough compared to the former ways of testing where diagnosis had to take place after the body had developed antibodies to the HIV virus.

Although the government had made it a requirement to test for HIV for every migrant, the ban was lifted in January of 2010 and the rule no longer applies to immigrants. Despite this, the government still insists that inmates from specific states as well as military personnel through out the country have to test for HIV (McNamara 109). Criticism have been raised concerning HIV testing among inmates because HIV positive inmates have been known to be cut out of from the society upon their release from prisons simply because of their status.

On a yearly basis, the government sets aside money to combat this disease. In its aim to control the disease, the government spends 55% of the money set aside to fight HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral treatment (ARTs), a form of treatment that is used to prolong life expectancy of those affected (Derose, Kathryn 69). ARTs are therefore available to all affected irrespective of whether they have medical insurance or not. This is funded by Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resource Emergency (CARE). Although this seems taken care of, the National HIV/AIDS Strategy established by president Obama admits that “large numbers of uninsured and underinsured people with HIV mean that not everyone has sufficient access to HIV therapy.”  However, there is a strong importance on the effect that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or health care reform bill, that was passed early this year, has on the plans made to ensure eligibility, accessibility of treatment, protection of patients, increased tax credit access as well as provision of future treatment to patients.

A study carried out between 2001 and 2009 showed that only 20% of those who were able to access treatment were able to be retained in health care facilities and were “highly engaged with specialist outpatient care.” This 20% that were found to require outpatient care were mainly females, African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos, MSM, older patients, and those whose CD4 counts were lower (Battle et al 99). Furthermore, the National HIV/AIDS Strategy in its way to fight the disease quotes “addressing stigma and discrimination is perhaps the biggest challenge we face” as it works tirelessly to ensure that the disease is under control.

Upon conclusion, it is evident to see that the HIV pandemic’s cure will never be found, however, the United States government has played a major role in ensuring that its people do not suffer much from the impact that the disease has on the lives of humans. By effectively implementing all the strategies it has for its people in the aim of fighting the disease, it is clear to see that the United States government will by far reduce morbidity rates that result from the disease and ensure that very few cases of new infections are reported.

Work Cited

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