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HIV AIDS: Helping Along the Way
by Oliver Hartman
HIV/AIDS continues to dramatically affect people
all over the world despite preventive measures such as educational awareness and
testing programs and treatment initiatives such as drug research and development.
Even in the United States, where government funding, medical technology, and
education would seemingly defeat this disease, the epidemic continues. According
to the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) over 1,000,000 people are
living HIV/AIDS in this country and approximately 40,000 new cases are reported
each year. Although high, this is a significant drop from the new annual cases
reported during 1980's, which approached 150,000.
The statistics from the CDC are an important resource for tracking changes and
measuring the impact of efforts, whether focused on treatment or prevention. An
overview of recent data reveals important trends. First, prevention awareness
and educational programs that aim to inform and promote less risky behavior are
reducing the number of new cases within the United States.
Second, despite the efforts of these programs people are continuing to transmit
HIV/AIDS. This is largely due to risky behavior revolving around drug use and
unprotected sex, but continued lack of HIV/AIDS testing is also to blame. It is
estimated that close to thirty percent of people infected with HIV are
asymptomatic and do not know it. Routine testing remains major priority, and as
such, officials have tried to institute these blood tests as a routine clinical
procedure.
Third, while the number of new active cases has decreased, the number of people
living with HIV/AIDS has increased. This illustrates the improvements of drug
therapy. Successful drug regimes help contain HIV so that it does not become
AIDS and help the body fight off opportunistic infections - infections or
diseases that can capitalize on a weakened immune system of an HIV/AIDS patient,
but not in a healthy person - which are normally the ultimate cause of death.
Thanks to these efforts and more, today's picture is brighter than the past.
People with HIV/AIDS are now living longer and healthier lives, but they still
face serious health problems. These complications include aversion to medicine,
afflictions stemming from a weakened immune system, and adverse effects of the
infection itself. Because of these on-going vulnerabilities, in 2004 HIV/AIDS
was reclassified from an infectious disease to a chronic disease. As such, the
treatment strategy, adopted from the Guide to Primary Care for People with
HIV/AIDS, stresses a comprehensive long-term model that involves clinical
attention, proactive community groups, and self-management.
Within this model, the contributions of community groups provide HIV/AIDS
patients with resources and support to improve their lives. Services and direct
care programs help patients with financial matters, housing, nutritional needs,
counseling, support groups, and transportation. Given that the national budgets
are invested in large-scale educational programs and research, individual impact
is felt most strongly when contributions go to organizations that provide
services directly to individuals in need.
Oliver Hartman © Copyright 2007, All Rights Reserved.
About the Author
Oliver Hartman is a freelance writer who has worked for a number of online
and print publications in Maine, New York, and California.
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