The United States Center For Disease Control

An individual’s sexual orientation is also a factor because although heterosexual men and women are overwhelmingly affected and hence represented in health reports, homosexual male youth (referred by the acronym of men who have sex with men, MSM, in some reports) have a higher risk of infection; large heterosexual figures may be due to a larger heterosexual population overall. The heightened risk associated with MSM populations can be attributed to unprotected anal intercourse, an increased number of sexual partners, as well as co-infection

The possibility of sexually transmitted diseases and infections poses a huge risk to all those who are sexually active. Without proper diagnosis and treatment, STDs and STIs such as Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, HIV/Aids, and HPV may leave permanent damage to one’s body and increase the likeliness of cervical cancer, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and more. Planned Parenthood offers extensive testing for patients upon every visit to decrease the spread and damage of any and all diseases. According to Sonfield’s research, “Nearly half of female family planning clients receive chlamydia and gonorrhea tests, and 19% receive an HIV test… Without access to these services, in 2010, an estimated 3.6 million women and men would have forgone chlamydia or gonorrhea testing, which would have resulted in tens of thousands of undetected and untreated STIs. By reducing transmission to partners, these testing services helped prevent an estimated 99,000 chlamydia infections, 16,000 gonorrhea infections and 410 HIV infections that year” (Sonfield). The great amount of transferable diseases requires the counteractive services of Planned Parenthood to provide treatment and prevent the further spread of disease. Patients are offered and encouraged to receive testing to maintain sexual health. In the event of an issue, full treatment options are presented at low or no cost and

Some 110 million Americans have an STD at any given time. With 50 percent of new STD cases involving persons aged 15-24(CDC), it's clear to see that there is a problem with prevention of these Infections. With having an STD, it puts people at more risk to get the HIV virus, which is not curable at this time (STD Facts). Showing that people who haven't contracted an STD are less likely to preform risky sex behavior.

Duval County has the highest percentage of population of HIV mostly affected by risky sexual behavior (FDOH, n.d.). In this paper, I will discuss HIV tests and mortality rate among African American male less than 65 years of age in Duval County.

Organ donation is a wonderful idea to fulfil a critical need. Unfortunately 120,000 (American Transplant Foundation, 2017). This massive deficit resulted in 7,464 deaths back in 2005 alone(Pomfret, et

Progress in decreasing new HIV infections among adults has slowed in recent years. Since 2010, the annual number of new infections among adults (15+) has remained static at 1.9

Despite the awareness that has brought attention to HIV testing, and medicinal advancements that have made decreasing the rate of transmission possible, over 50,000 new HIV infections are diagnosed every year in the United States2. Of these infections, 63% of new diagnoses are men that have sex with men (MSM), and 66% are African American2. This makes African American MSM’s the group with the highest number of new infections, and therefore the group at highest risk. Yet, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has brought a new weapon to the table when it comes to the war on HIV. Now, with PrEP, high risk individuals have an option to further protect themselves, although safe sex, with a condom, is still very important. PrEP does not cover other STI’s, which increases the importance of latex condom use.

society as a whole believes when one is dealing with an issue like AIDS, which

One reason that this policy should be continued is the fact that it is scientifically proven that there are higher rates of HIV/AIDS among males having sex with males (MSM) than among any other population (Smith, Fiddler, Walby, Hier, 2011). This is due to the fact that unprotected anal intercourse can cause tiny tears in the lining of the rectum, which leaves the individual susceptible to pathogens. When the male ejaculates, the semen is then easier to transmit and infect the other individual. Another reason the policy should be continued is that the newer screening methods for HIV/AIDS is not foolproof. Although there is new testing available aimed to try to prevent the spread of the virus, the system is not foolproof, and HIV/AIDS still has the possibility to remain undetected with the new

The healthcare system should primarily be concerned with cutting down the cost of healthcare that should put into context the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis drugs. However, reliable models have shown that using the HIV prophylactic drug drastically cuts down the cost of healthcare in risky populations such as gays, known to engage in multiple relationships. However, there is need to compare the cost of other interventions and come up with the most economical approach that contain the cost of care (Hall, Hall & Cockerell, 2011).

Furthermore, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that studies, as noted before, have shown PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV through sexual intercourse by more than 90% and by more than 70% among populations who inject drugs when taken regularly. Gay or bisexual men increase their chance of being exposed to the virus if they have had anal sex without a condom, been diagnosed with an STD during the past 6 months or are in a relationship with an HIV-positive partner. The 2014 HIV in the United States: At A Glance report states,

Another high risk demographic that has been identified is US military personnel. Individuals who serve in the armed forces have been known to engage in health risk behaviors, not use condoms regularly, engage in binge drinking that leads to unintentional sex, and have multiple sex partners (Bolan, et. al. 2013). These risky habits lead to the disbursement of STIs in the armed forces. Of particular interest regarding M. genitalium is the United States Air Force members already infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (Hakre, et. al., 2017). It has been found that HIV in the armed forces is prevalent among black males aged twenty to twenty-nine and white men aged thirty to thirty-nine (Hakre, et. al., 2017). Those who test positive for HIV undergo medical evaluations every

The need for organ donors dramatically increases each year because the number of organ donors grows much more slowly. “Every 10 minutes another person is added to the waiting list” (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services). Since people are being added to the waiting list so frequently, the need for registered donors is greater than the need for support of donation. Most people agree with organ donation, but few are actually registered as organ donors. “In fact, 95% of U.S. adults support organ donation but only 54% are actually signed up as organ donors” (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services). The amount of people who need organs grows everyday, but the lack of individuals who are registered to donate could cause tremendous problems in the future.

“A further 20% believed that their chances of picking up an infection were next to nothing in these circumstances. A quarter of the people surveyed, said they did not use contraception as they trusted the person they were sleeping with not to have an STI, while one in ten reported they did not like the feeling of condoms. Sexual orientation can also influence an individual’s sexual health”. It was also noted that men who have sex with men have relatively high rates of HIV, and that women who have sex with women have sexual health needs that are not being met that can lead to riskier sexual

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):