HIV is the short form of human immunodeficiency virus. When the person is infected with HIV, it is more likely that the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) will develop. HIV is a terrible condition because it cannot be cured. Once one has HIV, he or she will have to live with it for the rest of life. The virus infects T cells or CD4 cells. These cells are essential for the efficient functioning of the human immune system.
HIV destroys these cells and makes the human body vulnerable to various kinds of diseases. An infected individual can live up to ten years until HIV develops into AIDS. When the final stage occurs, the human immune system is too weak to resist even the slightest illnesses. As a result, one can die of the usual disease. The most common way of HIV/AIDS transition is the unprotected sexual contact. There is no cure for HIV. However, particular medicines can prolong the life of infected people (HIV Basics n.d.).
Nowadays, AIDS is regarded as the most urgent issue on the global level. The number of HIV-infected people is immense in South Africa. The virus is the public health threat. For instance, more than thirteen thousand residents died of AIDS in the U.S. in 2012. More than one million people died of AIDS in the world in 2014 (Basic Statistics n.d.). These rates prove the fact that HIV is the plague of the twenty-first century. Public health safety should be of primary concern.
HIV and AIDS rapid distribution resulted in million deaths of people. This epidemic also has changed the society drastically. The statistics showed that HIV was more often diagnosed in men who had sex with men. Due to this fact, people all over the world became extremely prejudiced against homosexual communities. Almost eighty countries in the world consider homosexuality illegal. Individuals who display the belonging to some of the GLBT communities can be even punished. Fowler (2014) writes that in some countries being a gay is like being a Jew in Nazis Germany.
In my opinion, the government should react timely and adequately to such issues as HIV/AIDS. President Barack Obama established the National HIV/AIDS Strategy in 2010. This program was the first comprehensive step towards fighting the problem (HIV/AIDS: Moving Forward n.d.).
The strategy was aimed at increasing the level of population’s awareness concerning the ways of HIV transmission. The results show that the level of HIV-infected people decreases every year in America (HIV in the United States: At a Glance n.d.). This situation can be explained by the fact that Obama’s administration improved the situation in term of public health safety.
Numerous institutions aim at providing the best health care and prevention services. The roles of medical professional and public health expert in HIV/AIDS treatment differ. According to Gebbie, Rosenstock, and Hernandez (2003), public health professionals aim at improving the health condition on the level of population.
They can work in schools or organizations. The task of the public health professional is to educate citizens, make as many people as possible aware of potential threats. Medical professional works with the individual. The medical nurse takes care of the particular patient and makes every effort to improve his or her health condition or prevent the risk. That is the primary difference between responsibilities of the public health professional and the medical professional.
References
Basic Statistics. (n.d.). Web.
Fowler, N. (2014). HIV Remains Global Health Problem, Thanks to Ignorance and Prejudice. Web.
Gebbie, K., Rosenstock, L., & Hernandez, L. (2003). Who Will Keep the Public Healthy? Washington, D. C., USA: The National Academies Press.
HIV/AIDS: Moving Forward. (n.d.) Web.
HIV Basics. (n.d.) Web.
HIV in the United States: At a Glance (n.d.) Web.