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Where we stand as a community in regards to HIV

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Emily Carson
HIV and AIDS on the World Stage:

What have we as an international community achieved in regards to HIV/AIDS? We have developed a serum that can halt the mother to child transmission, created new antiretrovirals to combat the virus and make it manageable, we have decreased the AIDS death rate in most westernized countries, and we are developing stronger and more effective methods of transmission prevention.
If the world is making all these strides in treatment and prevention, why are still upwards to 35 million people living with HIV-AIDS in the World? Why has HIV-AIDS killed more than 25 million people since 1989? Why is only 31% of the people who need Antiretroviral therapy receiving it? There are 15 million children orphaned because of this pandemic; Women account for half of people living with HIV worldwide; Youth (person’s under 25) account for half of the new infections in 2007;
Yes, abstract statistics are just that, abstract. They do not give the human aspect HIV-AIDS. Peter Piot of the International AIDS Society states “AIDS continues to tear apart families and communities, leaving behind 15 million orphans and robbing countries of their future.” AIDS has been present for our whole lives (for the most part) so it has become easy to forget or push aside the prevalent risk. In North America only 40% of young adults have accurate knowledge of HIV-AIDS. Heterosexual Youth (under 25) account for the majority of new infections in North America and around the world. As a person, as a community, as a member of the world we need to take a stand. Get tested, know your status; It is the one thing each one of us can do to fight the spread of HIV-AIDS
After 25 years are we still no closer to creating a AIDS vaccine? There is an obvious market for it, There is a demand, There is a plethora of funding that would be available. Is it not a moral obligation to eradicate a plague? It not a pioneer effort, there has been vaccine’ created to slow or halt illness’s: Polio, Measles, Mumps, even Chickenpox has a shot now. If a vaccine was created, and became apart of the regular vaccines administered to children before school: could we eradicate AIDS-HIV in a generation?
Yes, there is allot of stigma around AIDS. It is predominately sexually transmitted, it proportionately effects the poor and under-representated in communities. Since the beginning HIV-AIDS has been viewed as a disease of deviants, the poor, drug users, sex workers, gay’s and those with immoral sexual practices. Because it is predominately sexually transmitted, in many cultures and communities HIV-AIDS is not talked about. Refusing to educate and talk about HIV-AIDS leaves communities at a higher risk.
Education about HIV-AIDS and other STI’s is the only way of prevention. Comprehensive sexual education must be culturally sensitive and inclusive; but it must include correct information on sexual practices, alternative sexuality's, STI’s, family planning, and barrier usage. This education should start in early grade school. Culturally sensitive education is intensely important. Having sensitive topics, such as sex, taught to you by an ‘outsider’ can cause issues. Having a person from the community (be it regional, religious, or linguistic) trained to educate will be more effective than having someone who is viewed an outside influence teaching. Rural sexual practices are going to have different connotations then the practices of a urban setting; hence the need for regional interoperation and deliverance of the information.
In many places, Women and Girls are less likely to attend school which puts them in a more vulnerable place when it comes to education about sex, reproduction and sexually transmitted infections (STI’s). Because of this women are less likely to know how to insist upon condom use and monogamy. Women often have little to no ability to negotiate condom usage. In many parts of the world, sex is for procreation; it is looked at the it should only be pleasurable for the man, and for a woman to suggest that her partner wears a condom is an insult. Women who carry condoms are also looked at as “loose” or “immoral”. There are few ways for women to protect themselves from unwanted sex, but items like microbicies and female condoms are becoming more prevalent. Microbicies are still in the process of development, but if they are successful; they will be the first item of its kind to protect a women against STI’s, and Pregnancy. It takes the form of suppositories and/or jelly that is ether inserted or placed on the outside of the vagina. The increasingly available alternative female barrier is the Female condom. The Female condom is a female-controlled contraceptive barrier. It is a pliable, soft, strong, transparent polyurethane sheath that is inserted in the vagina before sexual intercourse. It entirely lines the vaginal walls. The female condom, with correct and consistent use, provides protection against pregnancy and STI’s. It has no side effects, it is female controlled, and it is becoming more and more available. Since women quickly becoming the most affected population in contracting HIV-AIDS in India, the female condom is starting to become widely available and subsidized in India.
High risk communities, such as Sex Workers, should be educated in condom negotiation. both make and female condoms should be readily available and affordable, for all populations, but especially for Sex workers. Strides in personal preventative care need to be invested in, such as Microbicides. For those who have are ready been living with HIV-AIDS, Anti-Retroviral’s need to become affordable. Currently only 15% of people in underdeveloped nations are receiving HIV treatment. HIV-AIDS is less likely to be transmitted through infected contact in the Viral Load of the person carrying HIV-AIDS is being controlled via ARV therapy. Along with that, women who are HIV positive need to be able to access the preventive treatment for unborn children. It is as simple as Nevirapine being administered in one dose to the mother at delivery, and in one dose to the child within 72 hours of birth to severely cut the chances of transmission from mother to child. Universal standards for HIV-AIDS prevention and treatment have to be made, so another 25 million people do not have to die.
The only way to stop this epidemic is to tackle the basic infrastructure of the problem. Underfunded, under resources, healthcare and education systems. Healthcare systems in most of world are severely overburdened. Healthcare needs to be available for everyone one, not just the privileged few. medical costs are high for the simplest of problems, so for a person who has to invest in daily medications the burden is very high. Many of the people affected by HIV-AIDS live in rural areas, where there is not a readily available hospital care system. Roadway systems that will aide the transportation of goods like Food, and medical care is important to the fight against AIDS. The majority of the world’s population does not live in urban area’s, they have to walk many kilometres for items that are guaranteed by the universal declaration of human rights, like safe water, and food. People who are lacking in food/water security are not worried about obtaining HIV medications, fix the food security, then you can start to fix the HIV problem. Structural integrity is not attractive enough to raise money for, there will never be a fundraiser for things like highways... but to combat the majority of the world ailments and problems; national infrastructure has to top the list of things to fight.
Based on epidiemology and trends of HIV-AIDS around the world, the epidemic does not give any indication of stopping. Millions more people are going to get infected and die of HIV-AIDS in the years to come. THe only way to retard this epidemic is to rapidly scale up prevention measures that have been proven effective. There is a pledge stated by the International AIDS Society that world leaders will implement and achieve universal access to HIV prevention by 2010. This quite possibly could be the largest public health achievements in human history- Saving millions upon millions of lives and giving hope to countries being barraged by HIV-AIDS. This promise, this goal is going to need strong, clear and unwavering dedication and leadership. Otherwise we are doomed to keep this pattern of death and destruction going for generations to come.


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World AIDS Day 2008

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

20 years after the first World AIDS day, what have we as an international community achieved? We have developed a serum that can halt the mother to child transmission, created new antiretrovirals to combat the virus and make it manageable, we have decreased the AIDS death rate in most westernized countries, and we are developing stronger and more effective methods of transmission prevention.
If the world is making all these strides in treatment and prevention, why are still upwards to 35 million people living with HIV-AIDS in the World? Why has HIV-AIDS killed more than 25 million people since 1989? Why is only 31% of the people who need Antiretroviral therapy receiving it? There are 15 million children orphaned because of this pandemic; Women account for half of people living with HIV worldwide; Youth (person's under 25) account for half of the new infections in 2007;
Yes, abstract statistics are just that, abstract. They do not give the human aspect HIV-AIDS. Peter Piot of the International AIDS Society states "AIDS continues to tear apart families and communities, leaving behind 15 million orphans and robbing countries of their future." AIDS has been present for our whole lives (for the most part) so it has become easy to forget or push aside the prevalent risk. In North America only 40% of young adults have accurate knowledge of HIV-AIDS. Heterosexual Youth (under 25) account for the majority of new infections in North America and around the world. As a person, as a community, as a member of the world we need to take a stand. Get tested, know your status; It is the one thing each one of us can do to fight the spread of HIV-AIDS
Based on epidiemology and trends of HIV-AIDS around the world, the epidemic does not give any indication of stopping. Millions more people are going to get infected and die of HIV-AIDS in the years to come. THe only way to retard this epidemic is to rapidly scale up prevention measures that have been proven effective. There is a pledge stated by the International AIDS Society that world leaders will implement and achieve universal access to HIV prevention by 2010. This quite possibly could be the largest public health achievements in human history- Saving millions upon millions of lives and giving hope to countries being barraged by HIV-AIDS. This promise, this goal is going to need strong, clear and unwavering dedication and leadership. Otherwise we are doomed to keep this pattern of death and destruction going for generations to come.

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