Citing my paper APA format in two hours
kesht kebole
hiv_paper.docxFACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO AND PREVENT THE SPREAD OF HIV/AIDS IN THE UNITED STATES AND SOUTH AFRICA
Disparities in the Global North and Global South are reflected in the socio-economic and political positions of these two respective regions in the world. This gap is also best exemplified by the disparities in healthcare systems, education, and prevalence of diseases between these two regions. The Global North, which is comprised of advanced countries like the United States has a robust healthcare system and an educated mass. This in turn plays a significant role in reducing the rate of infectious diseases. Contrary, the Global South, comprised of many poor and conflicting countries has problems of high rate of diseases such as HIV/AIDS. What are the primary factors that contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS? What preventative measures work best in halting the rapid spread of this virus? This paper will briefly analyze these questions and more with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS in the Global North and Global South.
This paper assumes that the Global North and the Global South are considerably different in their social, cultural, political, and economic make-up. However, since this paper is a brief analysis, which aims to compare this disparity and its effects on health, it will proceed by using the United States (Global North) and South Africa (Global South) as representative samples for these regions respectively. The United States, with a population of approximately 320 million is regarded as the vanguard of the developed world, if not the world in general. A hub of diversity and immigrants from all over the world, America is perceived as a rich country of opportunities. South Africa, on the other hand, is a relatively small country with a population of roughly 53 million. It is considered to be the political and economic leader and one of the success stories of sub-Saharan Africa. Nonetheless, its wealth and socio-political maturity is by no means comparable to that of the United States.
The World Health Organization defines HIV as a virus that targets and weakens an individual’s immune system (immunodeficiency) thus making the infected individual susceptible to other infections. (WHO Cite) HIV becomes AIDS only when an infected individual contracts other infections. In advanced countries such as the U.S, Canada, and their likes, HIV infected individuals are able to live longer due to readily available retroviral drugs. On the other hand, underdeveloped or developing countries suffer high rates of mortality due to lack of medication in rural areas and at times urban areas alike. From this reality, it can be highlighted that economically advanced countries are better equipped to diagnose, treat, and perhaps prevent and deter infectious diseases compared to their economically dependent counterparts.
Data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that nearly 1.2 Americans are carriers of the HIV virus. (CDC CITE2)) However, the amount of diagnoses in the U.S is swiftly declining. In fact, from 2005-2014, there has been a 19% decline in the number of new HIV diagnoses. (CDC CITE2) UNAIDS data for South Africa shows that there are 7 millions individuals living with the virus.(UNAIDS cite) This is a large number given the population size of South Africa. The data also shows that, in 2015 alone HIV was responsible for the deaths of 180,000 South Africans and 2.1 million orphans as a result. (UNAIDS) HIV does not only affect the individual in countries where it is prevalent, but it also takes a toll on families, social fabrics, and the country’s development as a whole. What are some primary factors causing the spread of HIV/AIDS? Addressing this critical question is to where we now turn.
In the case of South Africa, poverty seems to be the driving force that exposes many to the virus. Due to lack of jobs, men are forced to migrate long distances in search of jobs and away from their wives, which increases the number of sexual partners thus likelihood for infection. (Cook 2006, 4) As for the impact of poverty on women, it often leads them to engage in prostitution, making them highly vulnerable to contracting the disease. (Cook, 2006, 4) Cultural patterns in many African countries only contribute to the epidemic. Most women are not empowered and legally protected enough to make independent choices that are healthy. In this regard, it is important not to divorce poverty and women empowerment. Why? As cook once again underscores, older men in Africa are prone to contracting the disease but young women are disproportionately affected in Africa because “girls in impoverished contexts often view relationships with older men as vital opportunities for achieving financial, material, and social security”, placing them at increased risk for the disease. (Cook, 2006, 6)
The driving factors in the U.S are however different. The demographic most affected by the virus in the United States are men in the LGBT community. To put this in perspective, a staggering 53 percent of new infections are transmitted through men who have sexual relations with other men as compared to 21 percent who are infected through heterosexual activities. (CDC, 2009, 5) Furthermore, African Americans are also at high risk for contracting this virus. Many factors amongst injecting drugs through needles, lack of healthcare access, stigma surrounding homosexuality, and sexual relations within small communities are all factors that have placed African-Americans as the top of all races with HIV/Aids in the United States.
There are many proven preventative methods that are effective for slowing the rate of HIV/AIDS both in South Africa and the United States. HIV testing is perhaps amongst the most important in this regard. Knowing one’s status is essential to prevent transmission of the disease. To slow the rate of transmission, another defensive mechanism is education on Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD). Whether it is South Africa or the United States, education is a leading preemptive step to combat risky behaviors as well as to reduce transmission rates from one person to another. Furthermore, community based intervention targeting at-risk communities (i.e. impoverished or high drug activity) is an efficient and effective way to distribute resources such as condoms and sterile syringes as means to reduce the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS.
It is important to further discuss South Africa, as it is a country in a continent riddled with high HIV/AIDS rates and mortality thereof. As research findings continuously show, poverty has a positive correlation relationship with the rate of HIV/AIDS. Hence, it vital that poor nations are equipped with the expertise to implement cost effective strategies to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Creese, Floyd, Alban, and Guinness conclude that preventative measures are the most cost-effective as compared to home-based care of those already infected. (Cite here 1638). This is especially important for South Africa because it does not have the economic strength to be able to provide targeted home or community-based care that the United States is able to afford its population.
In the health sector, The United States government has paid close attention to HIV/AIDS. It has been focusing on intensifying HIV prevention efforts, education, and increased access to care for those infected. A National Strategy to combat HIV/AIDS in the U.S released by the White House emphasizes that educating people on HIV/AIDS and risky behaviors is a primary preventative method. (White House Cite) The United States also uses its scientific sophistication to fight the Spread of HIV. For instance, through advanced pills, vaccines, and overall biomedical intervention, it has virtually eliminated transmission of the virus from mother to newborn babies. (4 Cite White House) Similarly, because of its economic power, according to the White House report, the U.S “gets people with HIV into care early after infection to protect their health and reduce their potential of transmitting the virus to others.” (White House Cite) Without American scientific and economic advancement, this would not have been possible.
HIV AIDS is a highly stigmatized disease. Many people are afraid of it and it is for that precise reason why, according to CDC 1 in 8 Americans do not even know that they are carriers of the virus. (Cite CDC) Fighting this stigma associated with the virus is perhaps as important of a factor in reducing the rate of the disease, as are aforementioned preventative measures. For instance, those who do not know that they are carries put their partners at risk. This has a domino effect, which is an explanatory factor for the high prevalence of this disease in countries where it is highly stigmatized. Though it is difficult to propagate ideas against social norms, it is very important to fight the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS around the world. One element that binds the Global North and the Global South is such stigma that is shared by both.
Though the degree differs, both the United States and South Africa share similar factors, which are responsible for the prevalence of HIV/Aids in their respective countries. Poverty, women empowerment, drugs, and lack of education and stigma are amongst the primary factors that are accountable for the spread of HIV/AIDS. In addition, preventative measures are also shared between these two countries. HIV testing, STD education, community based outreach, and scientific advancements are the leading ways in which health experts have been able to significantly reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS. With increasing attention to this matter by multilateral organizations and by national governments, it is possible that in the near future HIV/AIDS would be at its lowest since its discovery in the 1980s.
1-http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs360/en/
2-http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/overview/ataglance.html
3-http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/southafrica
4- https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/NHAS.pdf
5- http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/67156.pdf
HIV/AIDS. (2016, November). Retrieved December 09, 2016, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs360/en/
