Part 1
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) affects the immune system thereby weakening the body’s defense system by destroying white blood cells referred to as CD4+ cells(CDC, 2016). These cells are responsible for protecting the body against diseases. In the event that a significant number of these cells are destroyed, the susceptibility of the body to attacks by illnesses increases resulting to a more weakened immune system. However, by an individual having HIV, it does not automatically translate to them having AIDS (CDC, 2016). It takes quite a long time for the condition to progress from a virus to AIDS which in most cases is about 10 to 12 years. The agent responsible for transmission of this disease is a virus. The host factor for this disease is through people involving in sexual intercourse either orally or through the anal opening. Blood transfusions also serve as the leeway through which the infection can enter into the body of a healthy person. Sharing items like needles and syringes that have been infected with contaminated blood also increase the susceptibility of a person acquiring the condition. Additionally, individuals who do not have adequate balanced diet have got high chances of being put down by the condition. The environment in which this virus thrives is where an individual who has got injuries on their bodies makes contact with contaminated blood; chances are that they may contact the infection. Additionally, in the event that health care services are not sufficient or not easily accessible, the possibilities of the condition worsening are likely to be high and as such, there is the need for the governments be on the forefront in providing these services to the populations to address the condition (CDC, 2016). Another possible agent for spreading the disease is poverty. Poor individuals have got limited financial capabilities; therefore, this event translates to them not affording the required medication to address the problem at hand.
This study will focus on the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
HIV in the United States
According to the CDC, an estimated 1,218,400 in the United States under the age of 13 are currently living with the scourge albeit without their knowledge. The numbers of the condition have been increasing in the last decade with the rate of 50,000 new cases every single day. In 2013, individuals diagnosed were 47,352. In addition to this, an estimate of 1,194,039 persons has been diagnosed with the condition in the United States. Overall, it is estimated that the number of persons that have died from the condition is 658,507 ever since the condition was discovered in the country. Men who have sex with men are the worst hit by the condition with numbers pointing to 29,800 cases as of the year 2010. In 2011, this group of couples represented about 54% of new infections in the United States in the (CDC, 2015). Additionally, in 2012 close to 92,613 heterosexual persons died from the condition. The usage of injection drugs also plays a role in these infections with the total number of drug users representing 8% of the total cases in 2011. In terms of race, it is the African Americans that make up the bulk of the cases. In 2011, of the HIV cases, 41% were from this ethnic group. 270,726 persons from this community have died since the epidemic began. Hispanics are the second most affected groups with statistics showing that they represent 21% of all the HIV cases (CDC, 2015). 100,888 Hispanics have died since the epidemic began.
Estimated New HIV Infections in the United States, 2010, for the Most Affected Subpopulations
HIV in Canada
In Canada, the situation is not much different from the United States case. According to data from UNAIDS, the number of people that have been infected by the virus ranges from 59,000 to 85,000 (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2014). The prevalence rates of the condition in persons between the age of 15 and 49 years in this country are at 0.3%. Additionally, there is an average 14,000 women of age 14 years and above who have also been affected by the disease (UNAIDS, 2016). From this number, 25% of all the affected individuals are not aware that they have been affected by the scourge. The main reason for such lower knowledge levels is because very few people are willing to go for HIV testing and diagnosis for the condition. Between 2012 and 2013, the incidences of the disease decreased by 0.4% from 2099 reported cases to 2090.
Proportion of positive HIV test reports among adult females (≥15 years) by exposure category – Canada: 2012
HIV in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the total number of individuals living with the virus is estimated to be averaged at 130,000. The prevalence rates amongst adults between ages 15 and 49 stand at an average of 0.35%. In addition to this number, there are about 130,000 cases of the virus in individuals over the age of 15 years (UNAIDS, 2013). In the year 2014 however, the number of cases have slumped to 103,700 with the prevalence rates standing at 1.9 in every 1,000 individuals. The most affected group is comprised of men who have sex with other men with statistics indicating that the number stands at 45,000. New numbers of the diagnosed condition rose from 2,860 to 3,360 from 2010 to 2014 in this category of individuals.
s
Part 2
The social factors that are responsible affecting the disease in the United States include the education status, their status of housing, their financial muscle power, the levels of social support to these groups of individuals and the diet that is available to them. Individuals who are well educated can effectively learn about the effective strategies for addressing this disease. Similarly, better financial muscle power determines the ease with which these individuals can access the required medication for this condition (CDC, 2015). Food also plays an important role in ensuring that the affected individuals receive the correct nutrition which is crucial in building the immunity of the body. Local support groups also play an important role in addressing this condition through educating the community about the disease and the strategies that they can put in place to stay healthy.
Culture and behavior are the basis under which individuals are able to coexist and make decisions in life peacefully. These values are usually passed down from one generation to the other one. It is worth noting that culture plays a role in how individuals contract the disease. In some cultures like the black ethnic group, sex between men is seen as a taboo and, therefore, frowned upon (CDC, 2013). Additionally, controlling HIV in some instances may be tough in the sense that while various members of the community may be having the knowledge about how to solve the scourge, the same cannot be passed to lower generations as it is viewed as taboo discussing sex with younger individuals.
The environment that an individual is in also plays a role in determining the ease with which they can contract a particular disease. For instance, places, where individuals do not have access to the required information like in ghettos and slums, are in big risk of contracting the condition (CDC, 2015). Such places are deficient of the social services and the appropriate support groups that play the role of educating the community about methods of taking care of themselves against the disease.
Politics also plays a role in the development or deterioration of the scourge. Political actions on matters like gay issues have been vocal in determining the spread of the condition in many countries. In the United States, for instance, the law allows for same-sex marriage which in itself is a predisposing factor to the spread of the HIV. The implication of such political actions is that men who have sex with other men have got an increasing risk of contracting the disease (CDC. (2013). Additionally, by the custodians of the law not putting a focus on addressing the scourge and only focus on other issues like only passing legislations for development only puts a bottleneck on the ease with which the condition can be addressed.
The costs of addressing this condition are also high bearing in mind that the process is continuous. According to statistics from the CDC, the costs that will be involved in addressing the condition on a single person are estimated to be 379,668 US dollars (CDC, 2014). Additionally, the United States government spends close to 30 billion US dollars annually in carrying out HIV programs including treatment, research, and prevention In Canada, the lifetime economic impact of the condition is estimated to be 403, 150,000 Canadian dollars. These costs are broken down into healthcare costs, quality of life and labor productivity. Such costs translate to 1.3 million dollars per person (Canadian AIDS Society, 2011). It is evident that these rates are very high amongst individuals in the country. In the UK, the costs involved in the treatment of this disease are estimated to range between 22,775 and 48,000 pounds per year per person (UK Health Services, 2011). These costs are involved in providing antiretroviral therapy to such patients.
In terms of the available health care policies that address this condition, the Affordable Care Act in the United States has played a critical role in ensuring that individuals affected by this scourge can access insurance covers. The Medicaid insurance system provides healthcare services to individuals who have got low-income levels. These advantages have been added to those ones of the ACA with more focus on inclusivity to these individuals (CDC, 2015). This healthcare plan has not only improved access to care but also boosted prevention levels and has been vocal in the coordination of care. In the Canadian setup, the Federal Initiative to Address HIV is the current legislation in place aimed at addressing this virus. This policy is aimed at developing knowledge on this scourge, prevention of new transmissions, reducing the economic and social impacts of this disease and mitigating the effects of the disease on a global perspective (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2012). In the United Kingdom, the promulgation of the National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV provides the guidelines that have to be followed in addressing this condition. The strategies brought forward by this policy include; the coordination and the extension of campaigns aimed at providing required information to the population, investing in prevention of the disease, reducing the instances of unsafe sex and carrying out diagnoses. (POST, 2010).
Part 3
The main impacts that this disease has on populations is widely categorized under the effects on demographics and on the societies and economies. In terms of demographics, the countries that have been hit hard by this condition have seen major heaves within their populations. In regions where population education has not been given much attention, the mortality rates continue to increase. Additionally, other conditions associated with this scourge continue to be on the rise. Diseases like TB and pneumonia have been fueled by increasing HIV pandemic levels. From a societal point of view, this disease has been a source of domestic problems in the sense that most breadwinners die when overwhelmed by HIV (World Health Organization, 2013). As such, children left behind by these victims experience difficulties in their daily lives. Secondly, healthcare systems are overpowered with the cases that they are presented with thereby curtailing the quality of services being provided. From an economic point of view, the useful manpower that dies as a result of HIV leaves a big vacuum in the economy of the country thus having a huge effect on the GDP levels of the country.
Part 4
The CDC is at the forefront in making sure that HIV is adequately addressed. The strategy put in place to address by this organization is through the expansion of global care of HIV/AIDS so as to save more lives in the process. To achieve this objective, the CDC assists in providing scientific and technical expertise which is crucial in developing new therapies for the condition. Secondly, the CDC is responsible for expanding laboratories where new tests concerning the disease can be carried out. Additionally, the required technical expertise is also provided (CDC, 2015). Thirdly, it is also responsible for providing human resources with the areas of focus being on information systems that touch on human resources, provision of training and education to the personnel and evaluating the performance of these persons. Such efforts are aimed at addressing the condition satisfactorily. Finally, this organization is tasked with carrying out surveillance on the resource requirements so as to evaluate to the intensity of the process.
References
Canadian AIDS Society. (2011). Canadian AIDS Society: Cost of HIV is $1.3 million per person infected. Retrieved from http://www.cdnaids.ca/cost-of-hiv.
CDC. (2013). Substance Use | HIV Risk and Prevention | HIV/AIDS | CDC. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/substanceuese.html
CDC. (2014). HIV Cost-effectiveness | Guidance | Program Resources | HIV/AIDS | CDC. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/programresources/guidance/costeffectiveness/index.html.
CDC. (2015). CDC - Home - Global HIV/AIDS. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/globalaids/
CDC. (2015). Frequently Asked Questions | Social Determinants of Health | NCHHSTP | CDC. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/socialdeterminants/faq.html
CDC. (2015). HIV in the United States | Statistics Overview | Statistics Center | HIV/AIDS | CDC. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/overview/ataglance.html
CDC. (2015). The Affordable Care Act | Policy and Law | HIV/AIDS | CDC. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/policies/aca.html.
CDC. (2016). HIV/AIDS | CDC. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/
POST. (2010). HIV IN THE UK. Retrieved from http://www.parliament.uk/documents/post/postpn297.pdf
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2012). Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada - Public Health Agency of Canada. Retrieved from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/aids-sida/fi-if/index-eng.php
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2014). ARCHIVED - At a Glance - HIV and AIDS in Canada: Surveillance Report to December 31st, 2012 - Public Health Agency of Canada. Retrieved from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/aids-sida/publication/survreport/2012/dec/index-eng.php
UK Health Services. (2011). HIV & AIDS Information :: Annual UK HIV treatment and care costs could reach £750 million by 2013. Retrieved from http://www.aidsmap.com/Annual-UK-HIV-treatment-and-care-costs-could-reach-750-million-by-2013/page/1618137/.
UNAIDS. (2013). United Kingdom UNAIDS. Retrieved from http://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/epidocuments/GBR.pdf
UNAIDS. (2016). Canada | UNAIDS. Retrieved from http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/canada
World Health Organization. (2013). Global update on HIV treatment 2013: results, impact and opportunities.
