Depth analysis of heart disease from a public health perspective

AIDS is a condition brought about by HIV. It results during the advanced stages of an HIV infection when an individual's immune system becomes so weak it can't fend off infections from the body. The body becomes a target of various infections which if left untreated can lead to death of the infected person. No cure has been found to cure AIDS. Nonetheless, with good support and treatment, an infected person can live with HIV for a long time. For a healthy long life after infection, the right treatment should be taken correctly and side effects of treatment addressed promptly.

Basic Facts about AIDS

AIDS is an acronym for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The syndrome can also be referred to as late-stage HIV or advanced HIV infection. Someone suffering from AIDS may contract several conditions like thrush, TB, cytomegalovirus, toxoplasmosis and pneumonia. An individual's risk of developing some chronic conditions like cancer also increases.

CD4 count is the number of T-helper cells found per cubic milliliter of blood. A CD4 count of less than 200 cells for every milliliter shows that an individual has AIDS. The HIV virus attacks the host's immune system gradually. On infection with HIV, the body finds it hard to protect the body from infections since HIV destroys white blood cells and replicates itself inside the T-helper white blood cells. T-helper cells are known also as CD4 cells. HIV exists in several strains. Infected individuals do not therefore carry the same HIV strain. These strains are further grouped into subtypes. The two main subtypes are HIV-1 and HIV- 2. HIV-1 is the most common strain worldwide while HIV-2 is mostly found in Western Africa and in some cases Europe and India (Avert, 2016).

Historical Facts and Policies, and Discuss Your Topic's Evolution and Current Status

Historical Facts

The World Health Organization's (WHO) Exit Disclaimer projects that an approximate 36.9 million people the world over had HIV / AIDS as at December of 2014. 2.6 million of these people were children below the age of 15. WHO Exit Disclaimer estimates that 2 million individuals became infected in 2014. Included in this figure are 220,000 children below age 15. Majority of the children are in sub-Saharan Africa and got the infection during breastfeeding, childbirth or pregnancy from their infected mothers. Of the 36.9 million infected individuals living with the virus, 17.1 million of them are not aware that they are infected and should be reached with services for testing, says a UNAIDS report. 22 million infected individuals lack access to treatment. Of the 22 million who lack access to treatment, 1.8 million are children. Most of the individuals living with HIV reside in low to middle income economies. Nearly 70% of new HIV infections happen in sub-Saharan Africa. WHO estimates that 34 million people have succumbed to HIV / AIDS-related issues until 2014. Poorer countries have seen an increase in the number of individuals getting treatment for HIV over the past ten years. The UNAIDS Exit Disclaimer points to 15.8 million infected people having access to antiretroviral therapy in June 2015 worldwide, an increase from 13.6 million the previous June. There has also been progress in the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmissions and preventing death of mothers. To ensure that they did not pass HIV to their children and to better their health, approximately 1.5 million expectant women with HIV worldwide were under antiretroviral therapy. The number of new infections among young children has dropped by 58% from the year 2000 to the year 2014 (AIDS.gov, 2015).

Policies

The Affordable Care Act and HIV / AIDS

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) which was signed by President Obama into law on March 23, 2010 set in motion various efforts ensuring that Americans possess stable and secure health insurance that they can afford. The ACA has been instrumental in the fight against HIV / AIDS. It has given Americans living with HIV and those at risk of contracting HIV with a robust coverage.

HIV / AIDS Care Continuum

President Obama put in place the HIV care Continuum Initiative in 2013. It directed federal departments to give priority to HIV care continuum since they oversee the rollout of HIV strategy at the national level, put forth actions to take care of the drop-offs along the cascade and also increase the number of people in every phase of the continuum. The HIV treatment cascade or the HIV care continuum is a model outlining the stages or sequences of HIV / AIDS medical care infected people ought to go through. It covers the whole process from diagnosis to the suppression of the virus. It shows how many infected people are at a given stage at any given moment in time.

Syringe Services Programs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has committed to continuously working with partners and grantees to lower the spread of HIV / AIDS in the U.S. Illegal cases of opioid drug use involve the use of syringes which can put individuals at risk of contracting HIV. The syringe services program aims at reducing cases of HIV contraction through use of infected syringes.

National HIV / AIDS Strategy

There is a National HIV / AIDS strategy issued by the White House. The strategy incorporates a number of approaches and strategies CDC holds the belief will play the biggest part in lowering HIV. The approaches include the intensification of prevention measures for those who are at risk of contracting HIV and channeling resources to areas and interventions that can make the biggest impact. CDC supports the plan and is working to ensure its plans are responsive and consistent with the NHAS.

Evolution and Current Status (Prevalence)

Prevalence refers to the population of people at any given moment who are infected. At the end of the year 2012, approximately 1.2 million people over the age 13 were living with HIV in the U.S. 12.8% percent of them, 156,300, had not yet been diagnosed (CDC, 2015).

How the Public Health Topic Identified is Addressed at the Federal, State and Local Levels?

Various federal and state departments have responded favorably to the fight against HIV / AIDS. Federal activities include prevention, treatment and care provision services. Federal bodies also do research in areas concerning HIV / AIDS. With several departments in the federal government involved in some way in the fight, expertise from several fields is availed to the cause. There is need for more coordination between the federal bodies and departments so that common goals are achieved instead of each agency having its own unique goal and objective. The federal agencies that are involved in the fight include:

• Department of Defense

• Department of Health and Human Services

• Department of Justice

• Department of Housing and Urban Development

• Department of State

• Department of Labor

• Social Security Administration

• Department of Veterans affairs

State departments also are also involved and assist the federal agencies especially with their ground networks.

Responsibilities of the State, Municipality, County and Local Public Health Departments Related to the Issue

• Health promotion

• Monitoring

• Testing and counseling.

• Provision of support services like well-baby services and family planning services.

• Nutrition programs.

• Advocating for people lacking healthcare resources.

• Doing community assessments to identify needs and strengths of the population.

• Collecting and maintaining important statistics for the local community (Milne & Brown, 2002).

References

AIDS.gov. (2015, November 25). The Global HIV / AIDS Epidemic. Retrieved from U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/global-statistics/

Avert. (2016, February 9). What Are Hiv And Aids? Retrieved from AVERT: http://www.avert.org/about-hiv-aids/what-hiv-aids

CDC. (2015). Prevalence of Diagnosed and Undiagnosed HIV Infection -- United States, 2008 -- 2012. MMWR, 64, pp. 657-662.

Milne, T. L., & Brown, C. K. (2002). State and Local Health Departments. The Gale Group Inc.