Introduction
The African continent represents 12% of the worlds population, but Sub-Saharan Africa disproportionately represents nearly 70% of the worlds HIV cases (1). Within that, it has been estimated that there are 6.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa, which is the highest number from any country in the world (2), and represents 17% of the global burden of HIV infection (3).
HAART has been the mainstay of treatment for HIV in industrialised countries since the 1990’s (4). Since its widespread introduction, it has changed the course of the epidemic dramatically and improved survival and quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS (5). HAART consists of three different antiretroviral drugs, given in combination.
In 2013 the World Health Organisation (WHO) released its updated guidelines for the use of HAART in HIV/AIDS (Appendix 1), providing recommendations for policy and decision makers for more widespread use of HAART (6). These guidelines also raised the recommended threshold for initiation of HAART from CD4<350cells/mm3 to CD4<500cells/mm3 in asymptomatic patients (6), with a note that priority for starting treatment still remained with individuals with lower CD4 counts (<350cells/mm3). Despite this continuing expansion of HAART eligibility, uptake remains low in many places, with only 54% of those eligible for HAART with a CD4<350cells/mm3 receiving it worldwide (7).
Low and middle-income countries, like South Africa, are faced with the
Contracting Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HI Virus) in western civilization no longer means living in fear. While taking the medication, Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART), the virus cannot be spread. Therefore allowing the patient to remain sexually active and procreate without passing on HI Virus to others. This treatment causes the HI Virus enter into a of hibernation phase, allowing the infected person to live a more normal life. Even though it sounds like a miracle drug, the geographical areas that are most affected by this virus are not being treated. This essay will discuss why this medication is not the final answer. How HAART is not available to the countries that need it most, and even though a true cure has been found,
Societal assimilation for vietnam veterans is like climbing Mount Everest without any prior knowledge and proper supplies, irrational and unreasonable. Societal assimilation for anyone is a difficult task to accomplish, but for a vietnam veteran, the difficulty of the situation is increased one-hundred times more. Many vietnam veterans are exposed to society and to the world without any prior knowledge of it, or not enough information for them, to the point where they can easily integrate back into society. Societal assimilation is one of the many things that gradually cause displacement in Vietnam veterans when it comes to being a stable member in society.
If you hit a pedestrian while driving your car, you may think you will be held accountable for the accident. To be sure, it is often the fault of the driver, but this is not always the case. The following are four notable reasons that the pedestrian may be at fault.
Since the outbreak of HIV/AIDS, an estimated 78 million people have acquired HIV and has killed approximately 39 million people infected with the virus. The prognosis of the epidemic has continued to vary from different countries and according to global statistics; 35 million people in 2013 were living with HIV/AIDS. 2.5 million People per annum acquire the virus and 1.5 million die of AIDS. Inspite of the drastic transmission of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the development and accessibility of anti-retroviral drugs has decreased mortality rates by 22% from a population of 2.0million in 2009 to 1.5million in 2013 (WHO, 2013),
According to the authors of Chapter 5, the single factor that explains the sharp drop in mortality in the U.S. was the introduction of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) in 1996. HAART, medications including at least two different classes/kinds of ARVs, was found to suppress the virus and restore patients’ immune systems for sustained periods.
The number of individuals in South Africa infected with HIV is larger than in any other single country in the world. The 2007 UNAIDS report estimated that 5,700,000 South Africans had HIV/AIDS, or just under 12% of South Africa 's population of 48 million. In the adult population the rate is 18.5%.
HIV, on the other hand, constitutes another major global public health issue. It is estimated that, so far, more than 34 million people have died from the disease(2,3). In 2014, 1.2 (980.000-1.6 million) million deaths were attributed to HIV-related causes(2). The most HIV-affected region is Sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for almost 70% of the global total of new HIV cases(2,4). In 2014, 25.8
Flanders’ article on prostitution in Victorian London focuses on the misinformation and misconceptions surrounding sex-workers of that era, especially focusing on how unreliable the numbers involved can be. She approaches the topic with three main arguments in mind: the supposed amount of prostitutes and the evolution of what defines a prostitute, how women are frequently mistaken for prostitutes based upon their appearance, and the often looked-over presence of male prostitutes. Within her article she presents multiple primary sources including: diary entries discussing encounters with prostitutes, letters detailing how women were leered at and the public’s response to such incidents, and even some authors. It is when she first introduces her argument as a whole that she discusses the questionability of the reported number of prostitutes in Victorian London.
Currently the best standard drug regimen available for HIV-1 infection is that of highly active retroviral treatment (HAART) (Scott & Tsevat, 2006). The dilemma is that in 2006, the estimated cost per year of HAART was $730 per person. This excludes the fact that market prices of HAART are typically higher, especially in the US. No country in Africa, and few countries elsewhere in the developing world can afford this level of treatment (Specter, 2003). Another interesting study in 2002 found that only 39 out of the 160 countries that data was collected had a per capita health expenditure over $730, which is startling. More so, 85 out of those 160 countries spent under $300 per capita in health expenditures (The Kaiser Family Foundation, 2002). Interestingly, another study conducted showed that in 2006, India's total per capita health expenditure amounted to $23 (Gupta & Bollinger, 2006). These studies truly suggest how unobtainable these HIV-1 treatments are to the developing countries. Ultimately, this further suggests that to provide trial participants with these optimal treatments, outside entities would be required for providing the funds.
The data was nationally collected to determine Sweden’s progress in reaching the 90-90-90 goal. By the end of 2015, Sweden had reached and surpassed the UN’s goal. They had 90% of cases diagnosed, 99.8% of people were linked to antiretroviral therapy and 95% of people taking antiretroviral for 6 months or more had a viral load below 50 copies/ml (Carter). The use of antiretroviral therapy in many patients who have HIV has reduced
The discovery and implementation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) changed the prognosis for many with HIV from a fatal death sentence to a manageable chronic disease which enables sufferers to lead full lives. 96% of people living with HIV in the UK accessed ART treatment (Figure 2) in 2016.
The scaling up of ART follows the public health approach of using the standardized and simplified treatment regimens that are consistent with international standards (Bennett et al., 2012). However the treatment with ARV drugs can be accompanied by emergence and transmission of HIV DR. The emergence of HIV DR can limit the treatment options that will need switching to the second-line regimens that is costly and can produce long term toxicities (Bennett et al., 2012). In order to counter the effects of HIV DR, WHO developed a global strategy for the prevention and minimizing the emergence of HIV DR (Bennett et al., 2008, 2012). The WHO strategy involves three elements:
Almost 36.9 million people are currently living with HIV infection and almost 10 million people being died from the infection or as a result related causes or opportunistic infections. At present people acquired the infection reported from all regions in the world. The majority of old and new cases are reported from sub-Saharan Africa which accounts for almost 70%. Most of the HIV infection affects people at their predictive life, and around 40% of the infection occurs in young youth at age less than 25 ys. (Global Health policy, 2014).
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS is a pandemic problem affecting global health. At the end of 2015, 36.7 million people were living with HIV/AIDS globally. The rate of incidence is more prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa with almost 1 in every 24 adults living with HIV/AIDS. In the united states, HIV/AIDS is a diversified health problem affecting all sexes, ages and races and involving the transmission of multiple risk behavior. However, with the introduction of various prevention programs and antiretroviral drugs, the incidence of HIV/AIDS has reduced.