User:Ctrlaledlt/Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS

Global HIV data

Since the first case of HIV/AIDS reported in 1981, this virus although rare; it continues to be one of the most prevalent and deadliest pandemics worldwide. The Center for Disease Control suggests that the HIV disease continues to be a serious health issue for several parts of the world. Worldwide, there were about 1.7 million new cases of HIV reported in 2018. About 37.9 million people were living with HIV around the world in 2018, and 24.5 million of them were receiving medicines to treat HIV, called antiretroviral therapy (ART). In addition, roughly an estimated 770,000 people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since the start of the epidemic.

Globally, individuals suffer from HIV/AIDS; yet, there has also been a common trend as far as prevalence in cases and regions most affected by the disease. The CDC reports that areas like the Sub-Saharan Africa region is the most affected by HIV and AIDS worldwide, and accounts for approximately 61% of all new HIV infections. Other regions significantly affected by HIV and AIDS include Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.

Another important aspect to consider is that worldwide there is a common stigma and discrimination from which individuals with the disease suffer from, these factors are what generally hold individuals back from seeking proper services, care, and treatment. Individuals who are often victims of discrimination are generally more subject to judgement, harassment, and acts of violence and come from marginalized areas where it is common to engage in illegal practices in exchange for money, drugs, or other exchangeable forms of currency.

AVERT, an international HIV and AIDS charity created in 1986, has made continuous efforts to make their priority to provide the latest information and education programs on HIV and AIDS for individuals and areas most affected by this disease worldwide. AVERT suggested that, discrimination and other human rights violations may occur in health care settings, barring people from accessing health services or enjoying quality health care. Some people living with HIV and other key affected populations are shunned by family, peers and the wider community, while others face poor treatment in educational and work settings, erosion of their rights, and psychological damage. Generally all of these are limiting factors for individuals to access HIV diagnosis, treatment, and services resulting in a delay in full containment of this disease worldwide.

Accessibility to tests have also played a significant role in the response and speed to which nations take action. Approximately 81% of people with HIV globally knew their HIV status in 2019. The remaining 19% (about 7.1 million people) still need access to HIV testing services. HIV testing is an essential gateway to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services. It is crucial to have HIV tests available for individuals worldwide since it can help individuals detect the status of their disease from an early onset, seek help, and prevent further spread through the practice of suggestive safety precautions.

There were approximately 38 million people across the globe with HIV/AIDS in 2019. Of these, 36.2 million were adults and 1.8 million were children under 15 years old.

Global Statistics 2020

• HIV & AIDS Statistics
  • 25.4 million [24.5 million–25.6 million] people were accessing antiretroviral therapy in 2019.
  • 38.0 million [31.6 million–44.5 million] people globally were living with HIV in 2019.
  • 1.7 million [1.2 million–2.2 million] people became newly infected with HIV in 2019.
  • 690 000 [500 000–970 000] people died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2019.
  • 75.7 million [55.9 million–100 million] people have become infected with HIV since the start of the epidemic.
  • 32.7 million [24.8 million–42.2 million] people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since the start of the epidemic.
• AIDS Deaths & Mortality
  • AIDS-related deaths have been reduced by 60% since the peak in 2004.
  • In 2019, around 690 000 [500 000–970 000] people died from AIDS-related illnesses worldwide, compared to 1.7 million [1.2 million–2.4 million] people in 2004 and 1.1 million [830 000 –1.6 million] people in 2010.
  • AIDS-related mortality has declined by 39% since 2010.
• Investments
  • At the end of 2019, US$ 18.6 billion (constant 2016 dollars) was available for the AIDS response in low- and middle-income countries, almost US$ 1.3 billion less than in 2017
  • Around 57% of the total resources for HIV in low- and middle-income countries in 2019 were from domestic sources
  • UNAIDS estimates that US$ 26.2 billion (constant 2016 dollars) will be required for the AIDS response in 2020.

AIDS research and society

There has been extensive research done with HIV since 2001 in the United States, The National Institutes of Health (NIH) which is an agency funded by the U.S department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has substantially improve the health, treatment, and lives of many individuals across the nation. Because acquiring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is generally the precursor to AIDS, to this day there is no cure to this virus; However, treatment, education programs, proper medical care, and support have been made available for all sorts of people living with the virus.

NIH, this research is coordinated by the Office of AIDS Research (OAR) and carried out by nearly all the NIH Institutes and Centers, in both at NIH and at NIH-funded institutions worldwide. The NIH HIV/AIDS Research Program represents the world’s largest public investment in AIDS research. Other agencies like the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have also made substantial efforts to provide the latest and newest research and treatment available for individuals. Much of the research done by the NIH, has made a particular correlation in risky behaviors and the acquisition of HIV/AIDS. Consistent drug usage and related risk behaviors, such as the exchange of sex for drugs or money, are linked to an increased risk of HIV acquisition in marginalized areas. NIAID and other NIH institutes work to develop and optimize harm reduction interventions that decrease the risk of drug use-associated and sexual transmission of HIV among injecting and non-injecting drug users. Most organizations work collectively around the globe to understand, diagnose, treat, and battle the spread of this notorious disease, through the use of intervention and preventive programs the risk of acquiring HIV and the development of AIDS has dramatically dropped by 40% since its peak of cases back in 1998.

Despite the advancements in scientific research and treatment, to this day there's no available cure for HIV/AIDS. Yet major efforts to contain the disease and improve the lives of many individuals through modernized anti-viral therapy have resulted in positive and promising results that may one day lead to a cure. The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is one of the largest U.S. Government’s response to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic and represents the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history. PEPFAR provided HIV testing services for 79.6 million people in Fiscal Year 2019 and, as of September 30, 2019, supported lifesaving anti-retroviral therapy for nearly 15.7 million men, women, and children. As of the end of 2019, 25.4 million people with HIV (67%) were accessing antiretroviral therapy (ART) globally. That means 12.6 million people are still waiting. HIV treatment access is key to the global effort to end AIDS as a public health threat. Individuals who not only are aware of their condition but also are prescribed ART, are encouraged to remain consistent with their daily-dosage treatment so they can reduce the spread, viral load, and live happy and healthy lives.

Because HIV is more prevalent in urban areas of the United States, a lot of individuals living in rural areas generally don't participate or receive HIV diagnosis. The CDC found huge disparities in HIV cases between Northern and Southern regions of the Nation. At a rate of 15.9 the Southern regions account for a large number of reports of HIV; subsequently, regions like the North and Midwest account for general rates between 9 to 7.2 making it significantly lower in case prevalence.

One important key finding from the CDC is that populations affected and with most reported cases of HIV are generally found in gay, bisexual, and other men who reported male-to-male sexual contact. In 2018, gay and bisexual men accounted for 69% of the 37,968 new HIV diagnoses and 86% of diagnoses among males. HIV doesn't only affect individuals in this category, heterosexuals tend to be affected by HIV as well. In 2018, heterosexuals accounted for 24% of the 37,968 new HIV diagnoses in the United States.

• Heterosexual men accounted for 8% of new HIV diagnoses.
• Heterosexual women accounted for 16% of new HIV diagnoses.

UNAIDS also suggested that the individuals who may also be at risk of acquiring this disease are generally:

• 26 times higher among gay men and other men who have sex with men.
• 29 times higher among people who inject drugs.
• 30 times higher for sex workers.
• 13 times higher for transgender people.