Prevalence of HIV and AIDS
Discuss about the Social determinants of health and AIDS.
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) can be considered as one of the most important and most dangerous communicable disease, which has effectively threatened the health and wellbeing of communities due to the excessively high risk factor for this disease. Another very important factor associated with this is the fact that the curability percentage for this disease is very low and the sufferings of the patients is enhanced by the additional element of the stigma that the society has labeled the HIV positive patients with. And the stigmatization and the resultant social isolation is much more profound for the vulnerable groups in the society. The vulnerable population chosen in this assignment is the injection drug users (IDU) and the extremely high risk they are under when it comes to AIDS infection (Eluwa, Strathdee, Adebayo, Ahonsi & Adebajo, 2013). Now for this assignment, the impact of AIDS risk factor on the chosen vulnerable population will be explored taking the assistance of social determinants of health and the social determinants chosen fall under two broad categories, Discrimination, stigma and social justice, and Economics. The impact of these two categories have been reported to be high on the health adversities and the these factors will be explored on the vulnerable population comparing two countries, Australia and Kenya, within the context of AIDS.
HIV: HIV or Human immune-deficiency virus is a group of retrovirus that causes a severe infection that leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
AIDS: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS can be defined as the amalgamation of different conditions that paves way for different heath adversities.
Communicable disease: Any infectious disease can be defined as a communicable disease.
Stigmatization: stigmatization is any act that attempts to label one or more individuals in an attempt to defame or isolate them in the society.
Discrimination: discrimination is the prejudiced treatment to the different people or communities based on either race, gender or socio-economic standards.
Social justice: social justice broadly defines the manifestation of the principles of human rights on the daily lifestyle of the different people across different social strata.
HIV infections is not an uncommon phenomenon by any means to the scenario of health care and almost all the countries around the globe have suffered massive outbreak of the disease some time or the other in the past two decades. Hence, it can be mentioned that most of the nations are aware of the severity that this communicable diseases is associated with. Both the countries that have been chosen for this assignment are Kenya and Australia. In the first country, Kenya, AIDS has been a significant threat to the citizen for a large period of time and it can also be stated that the AIDS has also been a generalized AIDS epidemic for the nation which had been the primary factor behind the massive life loss in the late 1990s (Basavaraju et al., 2010). Although it has to be mentioned, that for Kenya the rate for AIDS prevalence has been reported to fall 10% in the past decade and yet the risk factor is still alarmingly high for the nation as well. According to the recent reports, the women in Kenya are more at risk for the AIDS infection than the men and the life expectancy for the women is also considerably lower than men in Kenya. According to the recent statistics, 13% of the total population in the country are suffering with HIV and a large chunk of that percentage are the injection drug users (Skovdal & Ogutu, 2012).
Social Determinants of Health
Considering the second vulnerable country, the statistical data points indicate at Australia being at the forefront for HIV pandemic as well. A recent survey report has revealed that as a nation, Australia holds more than 25000 individuals that are living HIV infection, and these individuals belong to all different age groups. The most saddening fact about these data points is the fact that 10% of the HIV infected patients are not aware of their HIV status and hence are not under the treatment program radar (Koelmeyer, McDonald & Grierson, 2012). Although, the most of the transmission in both the countries have been due to unwarranted and unprotected sexual intercourse, one of the most consistent contributors to the HIV infected statistics over the years has been the injection drug abuse. According to a recent statistics, almost 5 % of the total HIV positive cases in Australia have been estimated to be for injection drug abuse. In addition, for Kenya, the statistics for injection drug consumers suffering with HIV infection have been reported to be more than 10%; and hence, it can be safely concluded that the injection drug abuse is a significant contributing factor behind the HIV infection (Koelmeyer, McDonald & Grierson, 2010).
The vulnerable group chosen for this assignments are the injection drug abusers, there are various age groups involved in the chosen vulnerable groups. Considering the condition for Kenya, he prevalence rate for HIV infection for the chosen vulnerable group for Kenya ranges from 5 to 50 %, and along with that the rates for the women in the same region is 2 to 4 times higher among the chosen vulnerable group. A detailed survey report suggests, that in Nairobi and the coastal areas, the prevalence of HIV infection among the injection drug users have increased from 68 % to 88 %. Now considering Australia, the young generation are more and more inclined towards the injection drug abuse and the most frequently injected and abused drugs are heroin and methamphetamine (Strathdee & Stockman, 2010). The prevalence of the HIV infection is lesser in the Australian in injection drug abusers than that of Kenya at 3 to 30%, yet the risk is still alarming nonetheless. Along with that, it has to be understood in the context that Australian society has seen a considerable hike in the incidence rate of HIV infection in the injection drug abusers. However, it has to be mentioned that this issue continues to escalate all across the globe and it is crucial to determine the patterns of transmission in this population so that better intervention policies can be identified and the incidence rate can be reduced (Degenhardt & Hall, 2012).
Considering the Australian population for injection drug abusers, the most abundant pattern for transmission is direct through the contaminated syringe needles. It has to be understood that the most important contributing factor behind the escalating incidences of HIV transmission in the injection drug abusing youngsters of Australia. The drug sharing practices that have been prevalent in the Australian young adults have been the primary cause behind the extreme prevalence of HIV infection. The indirect mode of sharing the apparatus have also been reported in few regions although the data points validating the above mentioned fact is not as strong as the other options mentioned (Mathers et al., 2010).
Impact on Injection Drug Users
Now coming to the other country selected for comparison in the assignment, the most frequently reported reason behind the HIV transmission in the Kenyan IDU population is due to sexual contact. Along with that, as per the recent survey reports, it has been stated that the male sexual partner who is also an injection drug user has a much higher risk factor for HIV infection and this is how the transmission statistics has increased for the vulnerable population in the Kenya. Although, the contaminated syringe and indirect sharing of drugs is also another contributing factor as well (Okal et al., 2013).
It has to be mentioned in this context that the impact of different social determinants is also very extreme for the HIV victims and on top of the that, in case of the vulnerable population chosen for the assignment, the impact of social isolation and stigmatization is even higher.
It has to be mentioned that the injection drug users are already imposed with extreme discrimination and social rejection, which often leads to further deterioration of the condition for the victims. However, with the added element of AIDS infection the concept of discrimination is escalated multiple folds in case of the vulnerable population chosen (Eisingerich et al., 2012). Both the countries chosen for the comparison represent a somewhat similar picture; although the impact of the discrimination and stigmatization is much higher in Kenya when compared to Australia. Now it has to be mentioned in this context that the Australian government has a number of discrimination protection laws and policies that has significantly improved the condition for Australia as compared to Kenya (Vlahov, Robertson & Strathdee, 2010).
It has to be mentioned that the impact of discrimination that the chosen vulnerable faces is not limited to affect their lifestyle but also affects the health care they receive as well. The discrimination that the HIV infected injection drug abusers receive is extreme in the health care providers as well, which is reflected in the care approach and the interaction that the victims achieve. It has to be mentioned in this context that Kenya is a much more backward country in terms of education and societal reform and there are deep-rooted conservations and restrictions in the ideologies of the people and it is reflected significantly on the public perception of the injection drug users dealing with HIV infection. Hence the impact of stigmatization and social isolation is much higher for people in Kenya.
The second determinant is the economical condition of the injection drug abusers and its impact on the HIV infection. It has to be understood first and foremost that the injection drugs are extremely expensive and it is very critical for the regular injection drug abusers to continue the financial burden of the addiction. In addition, in the vulnerable population the impact of the economic constraint is imposed on personal hygiene and lifestyle standards, which increases the risk factors for the chosen population. Along with that, it has to be mentioned that the most pressing contributing factor behind the shared drug intake is the limited financial background of the students. In case of Australia, the abusers mostly resort to used syringe and needles due to the feeble economical background of the young abusers, although the needle and syringe program has been successful in improving the condition drastically.
Transmission Patterns
The condition for both the countries is again similar although there are many government sponsored projects and polices for the injection drug users to provide financial and accommodation related support in case of both the countries. But the level of awareness in the vulnerable population is much lesser in Kenya and hence the success rate of these program is also significantly lesser, when compared to Australia (Eluwa, Strathdee, Adebayo, Ahonsi & Adebajo, 2013). In case of Kenyan context, the sourcing of the needles has been reported to be difficult for the injection drug abusers in Kenya due to their economic constraints and the expense of these drugs. A vast majority of the injection drug users are in the teens and twenties, the concept of shared needles and syringes has grown on a dynamic rate in mostly in rural and sub-urban regions of Kenya.
Conclusion:
On a concluding note, it can be stated that despite sexual contact being the most important contributing factor behind the rising rate of HIV infection, for the young adult population the impact of injection drug abuse is much higher injection drug abuse is fast becoming one public health priority. Therefore, there have been many strategies or policies designed for controlling the issue although, the success rate of these programs have not been as expected. This assignment attempted to discover the patterns of transmission and the relation of the social determinants in respect to Kenya and Australia. And it can be safely concluded that the condition for Kenya is deteriorating as compared to Australia and there is need for more specified and targeted strategies to improve the scenario.
References:
Basavaraju, S. V., Mwangi, J., Nyamongo, J., Zeh, C., Kimani, D., Shiraishi, R. W., … & Pitman, J. P. (2010). Reduced risk of transfusion?transmitted HIV in Kenya through centrally co?ordinated blood centres, stringent donor selection and effective p24 antigen?HIV antibody screening. Vox sanguinis, 99(3), 212-219. DOI: 10.1111/j.1423-0410.2010.01340
Degenhardt, L., & Hall, W. (2012). Extent of illicit drug use and dependence, and their contribution to the global burden of disease. The Lancet, 379(9810), 55-70. Doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61138-0
Eisingerich, A. B., Wheelock, A., Gomez, G. B., Garnett, G. P., Dybul, M. R., & Piot, P. K. (2012). Attitudes and acceptance of oral and parenteral HIV preexposure prophylaxis among potential user groups: a multinational study. PLoS One, 7(1), e28238. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028238
Eluwa, G. I., Strathdee, S. A., Adebayo, S. B., Ahonsi, B., & Adebajo, S. B. (2013). A profile on HIV prevalence and risk behaviors among injecting drug users in Nigeria: Should we be alarmed?. Drug and alcohol dependence, 127(1), 65-71. doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2012.06.013
Koelmeyer, R., McDonald, K., & Grierson, J. (2012). Beyond the data: Distinct features and experiences of women living with HIV in Australia. HIV Australia, 9(4), 8. Retrievd from https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=074391063467744;res=IELHEA
Mathers, B. M., Degenhardt, L., Ali, H., Wiessing, L., Hickman, M., Mattick, R. P., … & Strathdee, S. A. (2010). HIV prevention, treatment, and care services for people who inject drugs: a systematic review of global, regional, and national coverage. The Lancet, 375(9719), 1014-1028. Doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60232-2
Okal, J., Geibel, S., Muraguri, N., Musyoki, H., Tun, W., Broz, D., … & Raymond, H. F. (2013). Estimates of the size of key populations at risk for HIV infection: men who have sex with men, female sex workers and injecting drug users in Nairobi, Kenya. Sex Transm Infect, sextrans-2013. Retrieved from: https://sti.bmj.com/content/early/2013/06/10/sextrans-2013-051071.short
Pedrana, A. E., Hellard, M. E., Wilson, K., Guy, R., & Stoové, M. (2012). High rates of undiagnosed HIV infections in a community sample of gay men in Melbourne, Australia. JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 59(1), 94-99. Retrieved from https://journals.lww.com/jaids/Abstract/2012/01010/High_Rates_of_Undiagnosed_HIV_Infections_in_a.14.aspx
Skovdal, M., & Ogutu, V. O. (2012). Coping with hardship through friendship: the importance of peer social capital among children affected by HIV in Kenya. African Journal of AIDS Research, 11(3), 241-250. Doi: 10.2989/16085906.2012.734983
Strathdee, S. A., & Stockman, J. K. (2010). Epidemiology of HIV among injecting and non-injecting drug users: current trends and implications for interventions. Current HIV/AIDS Reports, 7(2), 99-106. Doi: 10.1007/s11904-010-0043-7
Vlahov, D., Robertson, A. M., & Strathdee, S. A. (2010). Prevention of HIV infection among injection drug users in resource-limited settings. Clinical infectious diseases, 50(Supplement_3), S114-S121. doi.org/10.1086/651482
Wolfe, D., Carrieri, M. P., & Shepard, D. (2010). Treatment and care for injecting drug users with HIV infection: a review of barriers and ways forward. The Lancet, 376(9738), 355-366. Doi 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60832-
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
