HIV Treatment and Awareness in the USA: An Overall Analysis
Table of Contents
HIV is a global phenomenon, a deadly virus that has affected people in all parts of the world. This virus targets the body’s immune system, which acts as a natural defense mechanism against diseases. This virus kills the white blood cell in the body, also known as a T-helper cell or CD 4 cells which manifolds it inside the cells as part of the process. As the HIV virus enters the body they start killing these cells and thus the body produces more and more such cells and as a result, it becomes weak. So those who are infected with HIV and are not taking any medicines will find it difficult to resist the infections and illnesses.
For an HIV infected individual, it is important to continuously stay on medication to minimize the number of human immunodeficiency viruses that come in contact with the blood. Subsequently, this will also reduce the chances of receiving these viruses through unprotected sexual encounter to the non-HIV partners. This treatment for prevention is a necessary step to stay healthy for an HIV infected person.
Lack of treatment in this regard will damage your resistance and this will further lead to different types of other life-threatening illnesses like cancer. When the immune system is weak in a person it causes a lot of infections which otherwise cannot affect a healthy individual.
Statistical Reports on Prevalence of HIV in the USA: Geographical Distribution
According to an analysis, nearly 1.1 million people in the USA are affected by HIV and most of them are not aware that they have HIV. Though this disease is comparatively small considering the size of the population, the effect is prominent among a certain section of the population. As much as 70% of the gay community or those men who have physical contact with other men with different cultural backgrounds are affected by this disease. While talking about heterosexual black American women and transgender, the effect is not equal.
Over the years, though the USA has greatly contributed to the cause of HIV virus, yet approximately 37,600 of its own population are affected by this disease every year. Social stigma and discriminatory attitude of people are still preventing the country’s population to access various HIV testing and treatment services available in the country to prevent infections.
The rate of HIV infection is high in the southern parts of the country, which represents around 37 percent of the whole population. It is seen that nearly 45% of people in southern America are infected with this. It covers almost half of the new infections found every year in the country
The National HIV/AIDS Strategy created by the Obama Government in the year 2010 and which is to be continued till 2020 is focused on four goals. These goals include minimizing the new infections, enabling easy access to care available for HIV in the country and improving the life of people living with this disease, removing inequality related to HIV and working towards a coordinated manner to prevent this epidemic.
HIV Treatment in the USA
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests that any HIV infected person should start his treatment as early as possible. Starting soon will slow down the progress of HIV viruses in the body and one can live healthy for many years. In case of delay in the treatment, it will continue causing harm to the immune system and will put the person at risk of attracting other diseases.
Since the time of getting infected with HIV, it takes around 10 to 15 years for the immune system to get completely damaged in case of non-treatment. The progression of HIV diseases depends on the age, overall health and the background of an individual.
Various courses and programs have been developed over the years to help people live a longer life. These are the short term courses that are taught online and offline to CNA Prep training institutes.
Bloodborne Pathogens Course
The pathogens are small microorganisms, virus or in other words germs that cause diseases. The term was coined in the year 1880. HIV is a pathogenic virus that targets the immune cells in the body. This virus is found in sexual bodily fluids, human blood, and breast milk. Needle transactions and sexual intimacy without protection are two of the major reasons of HIV.
Alternatively this course is also known as HIV medical course, an awareness program specially designed for medical care professionals who are entrusted with the responsibility to provide care to others, as there is always a risk of infection associated with this. This is different from the traditional syllabus as one will learn practical ways to prepare himself against the bacteria and pathogens that he may encounter in his career. When a person is exposed to the world of blood-borne pathogens while working with the HIV infected individuals, he can take control of the situation through his knowledge and thus reduces the chances of transmitting the disease and give protection to his patients, relatives, and colleagues.
Objectives of the course
- To trace the origin of the blood-borne pathogens
- To become aware of the risks of infection while caring for others
- To learn the process of cleaning up of blood and blood-containing fluids
- How to use the personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent such transmission of blood-borne pathogens
- To know the process of transmission of blood-borne pathogens
- To learn what to do in a circumstance when the exposure happens
- To learn what to do if exposure happens
- To make yourself responsible in the process to prevent any such future occurrence of exposure to such pathogens
After completing this course, one can have a sound understanding of blood-borne pathogens and how they carry the possibilities of transmission. Though the level of contact may be different for a different workplace setting, there is always a risk present in exposure to these microscopic elements.
AIDS/HIV infection
AIDS is called acquired immune deficiency syndrome. It is the last stage of HIV infection when an individual becomes so weak that he cannot fight against any infection. It is a state of a combination of illnesses and symptoms and if it is left untreated it will become fatal. The treatment of HIV infection has improved over the years and therefore now few people develop this disease and even after infection people are living a normal life.
Though HIV cannot be cured, yet with the proper treatment plan and support, people can live a healthy and long life. What is crucial is to undergo the treatment process properly. However, there is still a lot to be accomplished in this regard. Candidates involved with public health and those CNA professionals can utilize their knowledge and skill and to assist people to make them aware of this disease and help them who are already infected. So, education plays a great role in preventing a disease like HIV infection.
An HIV awareness course emphasizes on the following facts
- Understanding HIV and the immune system
- How the disease spreads and how to prevent them
- knowing about various symptoms related to HIV infection
- Timely testing for HIV
- Medicines prescribed for HIV
The duration for the course is short, usually, two to three hours and some institutes offer it online also. Getting examined for HIV is very important as only this can save the life of a person with proper treatment and will eliminate the risk of transmitting the disease to others.
Concluding remarks
The funding for the prevention and treatment of HIV has increased over the years. The first federal budget came under the year 2017 under Donald Trump presidency which dedicated around the US $ 32 billion for the cause of HIV at a domestic and international level. The president has declared in the year 2019 February that the government aims to eradicate the disease in duration of ten years. This scheme is titled ‘Ending the HIV epidemic: a plan for America’ that aims to reduce the disease in the coming years.
Various government-supported agencies have come forward to work for the prevention and awareness of HIV diseases in the country. So, in future there it is likely that HIV will be eliminated through proper awareness and treatment in the country.
