HIV/AIDS IN SOUTH AFRICA AMONG GAY PEOPLE (Essay Sample)

INFECTIOUS DISEASE; HIV/AIDS SOUTH AFRICA.
Name of Student
Institutional Affiliation
Course Code: Course Name
Professor’s NAME
Date
INFECTIOUS DISEASE; HIV/AIDS SOUTH AFRICA.
HIV is a major public health global issue that has claimed almost 33 million lives so far. The human immunodeficiency virus targets the immune system and weakens it causing people to be susceptible to infections. The virus destroys and impairs the immune cells. AIDS is the most advanced symptom of HIV if not treated and presents with chronic diseases such as cancers. Transmission is via exchange of body fluids with infected people such as blood, semen, breast milk and vaginal secretions. It can also be transmitted from mother to child during delivery. Risk factors that put individuals into greater risk of getting infected are behaviors such as unprotected anal and vaginal sex, having other sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis, sharing of contaminated needles, syringes and other injectable materials when injecting drugs, receiving accidental injectable risk among health workers.
South Africa has the biggest and most high profile HIV pandemic in the world. It has an estimated 7.7 million people living with HIV in 2018 (HIV and AIDS in South Africa, 2015). This accounts for a third of all new infections in the southern of Africa. South Africa has the world largest antiretroviral treatment programme worldwide. The vulnerable population include women and this is attributed to poverty and gender based violence. Young women and adolescent girls due to intergenerational relationship between older men with high HIV prevalence with young women. Sex workers with poverty, high level of violence, and low educational level as the most notable factors increasing the risk of HIV infection. Criminalization of workers compounds the issue of violence as it discourages sex workers from reporting rape and assault. Men who have sex with men who face high level of stigma and violence due to traditional and conservative attitudes. The lack of healthcare knowledge on men who have sex with men makes it difficult to disclose their sexuality and healthcare they need. Transgender women who are neglected are also at a high risk of getting the infection. People who inject drugs and orphans are also vulnerable populations in South Africa. CITATION HIV \l 1033 (HIV/AIDS IN SOUTH AFRICA.)
Various factors contribute to a higher risk of getting infected this can be explained through the socio-ecological model at various levels such as the individual’s behavior, beliefs and health. The community’s beliefs, norms and practices that can promote or hinder health. Individual’s environment, their peers, friends and family who can ultimately influence their behavior. Indirectly, laws and policies can also promote or adversely affect health. Various intervention strategies can be implemented at various level of this model to alleviate the problem. Various theories can also be used to improve the already existing theories to further help mitigate the problem.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE; HIV/AIDS IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Levels of SEM

DETERMINANTS

STRATEGIES; ACTIVITY.

Individual.

biological
* History of presence of STDs.
* Lack of male circumcision.
* Anal intercourse.
* Sex during menses.
* Traumatic sex.
Behavioral.
* Multiple sex partners.
* Unprotected sexual intercourse.
* Sex with commercial workers or infected partners.
* Lack of knowledge of STDs or HIV.
* low perception towards the infection

* Reduce the number of sexual partners. CITATION pre96 \l 1033 (preventing and mitigating AIDS in sub-saharan Africa, 1996)
* Reduce the frequent change of their sexual partners. CITATION pre96 \l 1033 (preventing and mitigating AIDS in sub-saharan Africa, 1996)
* Educating the target population on how to recognize early symptoms of STD and seek treatment. CITATION pre96 \l 1033 (preventing and mitigating AIDS in sub-saharan Africa, 1996)
* Educate those that are sexually active on the advantages of condom use and how to use it. CITATION pre96 \l 1033 (preventing and mitigating AIDS in sub-saharan Africa, 1996)
* Delaying the sexual debut. CITATION pre96 \l 1033 (preventing and mitigating AIDS in sub-saharan Africa, 1996)
* Increase the risk of perception of target population. CITATION pre96 \l 1033 (preventing and mitigating AIDS in sub-saharan Africa, 1996)

Interpersonal/relationship.

* Peer pressure from friends to try drugs.

* Peer education that enable people to make collective decisions to change behavior. CITATION CCaan \l 1033 (Campbell, jan)
* Increase parent- child communication skills.

Community/institutional.

* Homophobia on men who have sex with men.
* Male circumcision.
* Social status of women.
* Multiple partners by men.

* Improving the social status of women by educating them on their importance and roles in the society.
* Voluntary medical male circumcision programme. CITATION HIV \l 1033 (HIV/AIDS IN SOUTH AFRICA.)
* Organizing sport activities and anti-AIDS

Society/policy.

* Gender discrimination..
* High rates of prostitution
* Poverty.
* Underdevelopment.
* Rural to urban migration.
* Low literacy rates for women.
* Unemployment.
* Poor availability of condoms

* Improving income generating activities so as to alleviate poverty that ultimately improves the socio-economic status of the individual.
* Making changes in the health infrastructure to ensure that there is access to quality health and affordable health services.
* Increase in the number of male condoms distributed annually to 850 million by year 2018.
* Treatment action campaign by civil societies to oversee the HIV treatment and care for all South Africans. CITATION HIV \l 1033 (HIV/AIDS IN SOUTH AFRICA.)
* Ensure condom distribution in schools, hotels, salons, truck shops and brothels.

Recommendations.
School based HIV/AIDS education programme would hold the most promise for addressing the health problem. This programme targets the youth. The project evaluates the teaching methods that are used such as role play, rehearsing the risk avoidance skills, discussion groups, peers and drama educators. This project trains the pupils and the students to utilize the materials. Student were also trained to extend what they would have learnt to their families and to the communit