The field of study which deals with health distribution and health associated events is termed as epidemiology. The role of epidemiology has already been established and acknowledged because of its great help in identifying and solving the current health problems faced by the public. By conducting an epidemiological study, morbidity rates, mortality rates, and other epidemiological terms will be determined which is used as support or evidence to the current need for improvement not only of health status but also of the different prevention and control strategies (Schneider & Lilienfeld, 2015). One epidemiological concept which has always been used in the field of health care and public health is the epidemiological triangle.
The epidemiological triangle is a framework used by professionals and epidemiologists in studying diseases and preventing health problems. The three vertices of the triangle represents the three important factors of disease causation. The three factors are the agent, the host, and the environment. The agent refers to the causative agent of the disease. Most of the time, infectious diseases are caused by a microbe which can either be a bacteria, virus, fungi, or protozoa. The second factor is known as the host. The host refers to the organism who develops the disease when exposed to the causative agent. However, it is important to note that not all individuals exposed to the causative agent will develop the disease. Lastly, the environment refers to the condition of the surroundings and other factors outside the host which contributes to the transmission and development of the disease. Time, an additional concept involved in some of the frameworks, has also been considered by some epidemiologists as essential to disease causation. Time refers to the incubation period of the disease. The concept of time was located inside of the epidemiological triangle (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.).
One of the global health concerns today is Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Currently, 2 million new cases of HIV infection has been reported. Moreover, it has been estimated that approximately 37 million individuals are living with HIV while around 1.2 million individuals died due to the AIDS related diseases in 2014. The epidemiology of HIV along with the mode of transmission and development can be explained thoroughly using the epidemiologic triangle (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015).
The agent for AIDS is an RNA only containing retrovirus known as HIV. It is a virus which can be commonly found on the blood and other body fluids. HIV is a virus that requires a host cell for survival and reproduction. HIV infection can lead to AIDS because the virus mainly targets the immune system of the host especially the CD4 cell which is important in cellular immunity (Morgan, 2010).
HIV can infect human and even animals such as monkeys and apes. However, various adjustments and circumstances can affect the development of the disease among these organisms. There are host factors which can greatly influence an individual’s susceptibility to HIV infection and AIDS progression. These factors include replicative factors of the virus that can escape the host’s immune response, cellular factors that hasten the development of the disease, and cellular factors which helps in the replication of the virus. The progression of HIV to AIDS can also be affected by immune status of the individual along with the individual’s attitudes and practices regarding HIV (Lama & Planelles, 2007).
The environment is considered as a crucial factor in the development of HIV and AIDS. Some of the environmental factors that contribute to the transmission of HIV include poverty, poor sanitation, gender inequality, inadequate knowledge on the transmission of the disease, and social disruption (Bolton & Talman, 2010).
References
Bolton, S. and Talman, A. (2010). Interactions between HIV/AIDS and the Environment: A Review of the Evidence and Recommendations for Next Steps. Nairobi, Kenya: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Lesson 1 Understanding the Epidemiologic Triangle through Infectious Disease. CDC. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/bam/teachers/documents/epi_1_triangle.pdf [Accessed on 14 Mar 2016].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Basic Statistics. HIV/AIDS. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/statistics.html [Accessed on 14 Mar 2016].
Lama, J. and Planelles, V. (2007). Host factors influencing susceptibility to HIV infection and AIDS progression. Retrovirology 4:52.
Morgan, T. (2010). HIV/AIDS. Austin. Retrieved from http://www.austincc.edu/microbio/2421a/aids.htm [Accessed on 14 Mar 2016].
Schneider, D. and Lilienfeld, D.E. (2015). Foundations of Epidemiology. 4th ed. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
