The Importance Of HIV Prevention In The United States

Sexual health is defined by the World Health Organisation as “a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality in a way that enriches and enhance the life of the person” (World Health Organisation, 2006).

​The best solution is the implementation od an Hiv awareness campaign targeted at African-american women. African-american women as a population have lower rates of awareness about HIV infection, ahich is is perceived to be primarily a homosexual disease that’s inflicts homosexual men (Cleveland, 2008). African-american women also are likely to discount the possibility that their male partners are engaged in homosexual activity ( Hunter & King, 2005). Addressing these erroneous beliefs must be the first step in encouraging African-american women to engage in safe sex practices. Providing access to condoms and testing before an awareness campaign puts the cart before the horse.

Statistically, black and Latino men are at the highest risk for contracting HIV in the United States. While black people represent only 12% of the U.S population, they make up 44% of people living with HIV. Similarly, Latinos are only 16% of the population and yet 21% of people with HIV are Latino. Because of this staggering disparity the Nebraska Aids Project specifically aims to help these groups; though some of their services are available to the general public and some are more explicitly for those living with HIV. One of the most important services NAP provides is the free HIV testing program. This program provides completely free testing for HIV that can be done either confidentially or anonymously. Nebraska is one of the only states left that allows anonymous testing and while there are some downsides to it, such as the inability to ensure proper health care for those who test positive, it encourages more people to get

There are many health problems that we face globally and each of them are important for us to be aware of and to take precautions and measures to prevent and treat such diseases that affect our global population. HIV/AIDS is a disease that is spread through direct contact with body fluids from a person who is infected with the virus, these fluids include blood, semen, rectal fluid, vaginal fluids and breast milk. There are an approximate 35 million people living with the disease globally as of 2015 and about 1 million of those people are children under the age of 15 (Aids.gov, 2016). There are approximately 1.2 million people in the U.S. living with the disease and of those individuals many became infected with HIV by needle or syringe sharing,

According to recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 1.2 million individuals in the United States have HIV (about 14 percent of which are unaware of their infection and another 1.1 million have progressed to AIDS. Over the past decade, the number of HIV cases in the US has increased, however, the annual number of cases remains stable at about 50, 000 new cases per year. Within these estimates, certain groups tend to carry the burden of these disease, particularly the gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men (MSM) and among race/ethnic groups, Blacks/African American males remain disproportionately affected. (CDC)

The prevalence of HIV in the African American community is unmatched by any other population. African Americans accounted for 49% of all HIV related deaths in 2010 (CDC, 2014). In my specialty area of family practice, I have encountered only one non-minority patient with HIV; all others have been African-American. This population needs to be of high consideration for disease education. African Americans are typically unaware of resources available to prevent the transmission of this disease, as well as testing available to them in their communities. African American children, especially, are at greater risk for HIV due to lack of knowledge and earlier age of engaging in sexual intercourse. They are typically unaware that their behavior can yield such a negative outcome (CDC, 2012). Many urban schools lack proper funding to accommodate a sexual education curriculum. It is of increased importance to raise awareness, educate and provide a plan of care for the African American teenage and adult population, as the incidence of this disease rises daily.

The implementation of HIV prevention strategies such as Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a method in which individuals who practice risky behavior take a pill that will prevent them from becoming infected with HIV. Storytelling and new media activities is used to spark the interest of this population. “For example, Keep it Up! an interactive online program focused on healthy sexuality, relationships, and preventing HIV was recently found to be feasible and acceptable among diverse YMSM” (Macapagal, Birkett, Janulis, Garofalo, & Mustunski, 2017). Subsequently, there was an increase of condom use by the young men who participated in this program. The intervention program called Popular Opinion Leader (POL) focuses on training individuals such as the young African American (MSM) to encourage members of his community to practice safer and healthier sexual behavior

Although, (NIH, 2007) reports that condoms have reduce HIV Transmission by 87-95 percent. To get these African American male students from seeing it to exploring condom use as an option or a benefit is contemplation. However, a Condom Education Program is placed an inner city high school, whose population is 65 percent Afro-American male. NIH reported data is the goal of the program. The objective is by the end of the year, 45% of Afro American sexual active males are

HIV is a detrimental disease in the African-American community. During the 1980s HIV was on the rise as many people were uneducated about the virus itself and how the virus was contracted. Precious contracted HIV from her mother's boyfriend, which is more difficult to handle when you live in a state of poverty. Precious had limited funds and limited health care options. If an individual contracts HIV in 2016 there are medications that can prolong their life and keep them comfortable unlike the resources available in the 1980s. According to Rao and colleagues, African-Americans face many downfalls with HIV due to difficulty accessing proper care and medication (2016). Rao address that there is a stigma associated with HIV, as well as African-Americans,

HIV is highly prevalent among the United States population, primarily affecting African Americans of all economic levels and age groups. HIV is transmissible through sexual contact and damages the immune system as it interferes with the individual’s capability to fight off any infections or illnesses. Health inequalities that greatly affect the high rates of HIV include but are not limited to: higher rates of poverty, lack of awareness, intercourse within the same sex, having anxiety towards getting tested for STD’s or HIV, as well as being fearful of “coming out”. Local, state, and nationwide organizations are designed to inform and provide assistance to those who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. S.A.A.F. (Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation)

6. HIV- Prevention in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and related illness including death is a goal of Healthy People 2020. With the continual spread of HIV, it is important to continue educating the public on the preventions, and do away with the stigma, especially in those who are affected by HIV.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that there are currently 1.1 million people living with HIV in the United States (2017). The southern region of the United States continues lead the country in rates of new HIV infections (CDC, 2017). Jacksonville, Florida is among several southern cities reporting disproportionately high numbers of new HIV infections (ADSVu, 2017). In 2014, there were 6,553 individuals living with HIV in Jacksonville, Florida and 309 new infections were reported in 2015 (ADSVu, 2017).

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, and if left untreated, can lead to AIDS (Fauci, 1988). Globally, 36.7 million people are living with HIV and 1.2 million are living with HIV in the United States. Over the last decade, the annual number of new HIV diagnoses decreased by 19%, and many health professionals and public health researchers attribute this to both awareness and prevention. Research shows that there is an economic benefit of preventing disease because it lowers healthcare costs (Hogg, Baskerville, & Lemelin, 2005). It has been found that for every HIV infection prevented, an estimated $355,000 is saved in the cost of providing lifetime HIV treatment (Benjamin, 2011). There is a national need for prevention of diseases such as AIDS to lower healthcare costs while improving the quality of people’s lives, and the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) responds to this need with its emphasis on disease prevention, improving access to coverage, ensuring quality coverage, and by enhancing the capacity of the healthcare delivery system (Koh & Sebelius, 2010).

According to the CDC (2015), more than one million people are living with HIV in the United States, and more than 50,000 become newly infected each year. Unfortunately, one in five Americans living with HIV are unaware of their infection. I believe using the strategy which stresses the use of the 10 essential services of public health will help reduce the incidence of HIV in our

In the last three decades HIV/ AIDS has become the one of the most notorious and widely spread diseases in the modern world. Its discovery in the late seventies prompted worldwide concern. The one thing that has become the most bothersome thing about the HIV/ AIDS epidemic is prevention. Prevention or stopping the transmission of the diseases is hindered by factors such as: denial or non-acceptance by infected persons, unsafe sex, and non-disclosure by infected persons to their at risk sexual partner(s). According to Alghazo, Upton, and Cioe (2011):