Treatment and prevention strategies for HIV and AIDS

Health Care

Condoms are effective against the spread of AIDS as transmitted through sexual activity. The condom prevents the transmission of fluids between individuals during sexual activity. It is that transmission of fluids that can result in the transmission of the AIDS virus between people. In many poorer communities and countries, condoms have proven effective in reducing the rate of AIDS and HIV transmission between individuals. Condoms do not, of course, affect the rate of transmission by other means, such as intravenous drug use or transfusions. But they do lower the rate of transmission because a lot of AIDS and HIV transmission does occur through sexual activity. Education plays an important role because in many communities and countries, condoms are a novel idea, and people are unaccustomed to using them. There also has to be a certain degree of female empowerment to insist on condoms as a means of protection, and that has proven to be a barrier in many places, again something that can be overcome with education. There aren't really any recent advances, other than a wealth of evidence suggesting that free distribution of condoms can improve the rate at which they are used, sometimes significantly.

b. The American Social Health Association has become the American Sexual Health Association. Their website features a number of different resources. One of the tools that they provide is a section for Parents, where the Association provides information to guide parents in talking about sexual health with their children. Issues like "how to talk to your kids" are common with parents, and the Association provides guidance for parents to deal with such topics, about which many parents may be uncomfortable when talking to their children. A similar resources exists for teachers as well.

Another resource that is provided on this website is a series of books about different sexual health subjects. These are available for sale, which seems odd. But there are also a number of brochures that are available for free. Both of these are forms of information that can be used to help inform members of the public about sexual health issues. The cost of the books might be a barrier to some, honestly, but the resources are likely quite valuable in that they contain a lot of information. People can download these without having to talk to anybody else, which removes one of the barriers that people have with respect to sexual health and talking about sexual health.

c. These days, there are fewer social contexts where it is ok to smoke. People still smoke at parties, though, even if you cannot smoke in public any more. In private, people also still smoke, although this is becoming less common. Cigarettes in particular are less common -- a few people here and there smoke, but not nearly as many as would have been the case for previous generations. So the social context of smoking is somewhat limited, and a lot of people prefer not to be around smoke because of the health risks and the smell. Alcohol is more much common, and there are few barriers against the social use of alcohol, other than where driving is involved, or public drinking. But while alcohol impairs functionality and alters behavior by reducing social anxiety, smoking does not necessary result in changes to one's behavior. It is not a drug that increases one's engagement in sexual activity in the way that alcohol does, though there may be some correlation with other risk-seeking or rebellious behaviors. Smoking impairs sexuality in terms of reducing overall healthfulness, decreasing attractiveness, and because it affects both sexual desire and sexual performance. Infertility in men is another long-term effect of smoking. The research is ongoing as to why this is, so that is a gap, but there seems to be a lot of research confirming that male sexual function is negatively affected by smoking.

References

American Sexual Health Association. (2016) website, various pages. Retrieved November 8, 2016 from http://www.ashastd.org/