HIV/AIDS in the United States

HIV/AIDS in the United States

Introduction

According to UNAIDS (2013), HIV/AIDS is considered to be one of the greatest challenges to the economic, social, and civil society development in the current times. It is regarded as a global issue since the victims of this illness are found in all corners of the world. The epidemic is dynamic and it continues to grow and change characteristics since the virus continues to find out different and new ways to transmit. For this purpose there needs to be a response of the kind that is effective which requires commitment, urgency and persistent action by individuals and various organizations. Furthermore, keeping in view the complexity and destructiveness of HIV/AIDS, it is required that innovative steps are taken, accompanied by wide scale awareness of the issue (Arinola & Adekunjo, 2012).

Literature Review

From the time the HIV was discovered in the year 1983, as an organism that caused Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), it has continued to spread and acquire the status of an epidemic. This infection is a kind of crisis that is not only an emergency but it is also an issue that continues to develop in the long-term. Studies have found out HIV/AIDS to be among the most complex health problems of the current century (Tumer & Unal, 2000). Even though there have been a lot of attention paid to this infection to stop it from spreading, the epidemic has proved the response to be inadequate.

The AIDS disease has in the current times acquired the status of a pandemic disease which has the tendency of threatening the population of the world. With time the number of people infected by the disease keeps on growing, and by the end of this decade there is a probability that this number will substantially increase. Meyer (2003) asserts that HIV/AIDS is one of the leading causes of death and it is believed that since the time of its beginning more than 25 million people have died because of this disease.

According to Olaleye (2003), AIDS is a viral disease which happens because of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), commonly found in fluids of the body for example in blood, semen, breast milk etc. of patients infected with it. Resultantly, the virus transmits from one person to another generally when the two indulge in sexual intercourse or when people share instruments that are not sterilized after being used by the infected patients such as knives, blades and syringes. Because of the large number of deaths as a result of this disease, a lot of children have become orphan. Studies indicate that HIV/AIDS often attacks the reproductive and the economically active parts of the population, such that it changes the composition of families by destroying the young adult population and creating families that are left with elderly females or children as head of families (Mokgele, 2011). Apart from taking away lives, the infection also takes away a lot of health sector funds which are directed towards its prevention ...