...| Disparity of Healthcare for AIDS/HIV Patients | Lana Iris English 12312/15/14 | Disparity of Healthcare with Patients with AIDS/HIV For the last thirty years AIDS/HIV has been a controversial topic, but more recently, the disease itself has not been controversial but the disparity in receiving proper care both in prevention modalities and active treatment for the disease. While the Obama administration has taken steps toward the elimination of these disparities through the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and Implementation Plan, there is still much work to be done. This brief highlights underexplored explanations for these disparities and outlines possible solutions to begin addressing them. Oftentimes, popular culture has offered unfortunately erroneous explanations for the stark racial disparate impact of HIV/ AIDS. The mass media, for example, has suggested that black men “on the down low” infect black women by secretly sleeping with male partners, acting as a bisexual “bridge” between gay and straight communities. But public health scholars have found little support for this theory. Many may assume that black people suffer from greater HIV prevalence because they are considered less sexually responsible than whites. Yet several studies have shown that black women and black men who have sex with men—the two groups most severely impacted by HIV/AIDS—have similar numbers of sexual partners and use condoms as often as their white counterparts. Thus, behavioral risk factors...
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...Should Aids Victims Be Ostracized I strongly disagree with the moot. AIDS, or the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome has been one of the most threatening diseases of the 20th century. Ever since it has been discovered in 1981, it has been constantly infecting men, women, adults, newly born children, homosexuals and heterosexuals. In definition AIDS is an extremely serious disorder that results from severe damage to the body s defense against disease. Even though AIDS was born in an era of sophisticated medical and surgical developments, it still remains incurable. The ways through which the HIV, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, can be transmitted are: blood transfusion, contaminated needles used in drug addiction, from an infected husband to his wife through sexual intercourse, or from an infected mother to her new born baby during pregnancy. Because it is that much spread and so far incurable, AIDS has aroused a lot hysterical fears and a number of controversies and ethical questions related to the patient s rights, doctor s rights and the right of the public at large. While some people think that AIDS patients should be isolated in quarantines, alienated from the rest of the world, others find no reason in this harsh form of separation and discrimination against the infected patients. The patients must also have the right to lead a normal life that must be respected by all the public, and government too. Although AIDS is not more contagious than any other disease, its patients...
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...1. Introduction Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, also known as AIDS, is caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).HIV damages body’s immune system by destroying white blood cells which help us to destroy invaded pathogens. When HIV enters a white blood cell, it may remain dormant. However, once it is activated, it infects another cell to produce many new HIVS. After a certain period of time, the white blood cells are destroyed and leading to a loss of function of the immune system (Y.K. Ho,2004). People infected by HIV will turn out to have AIDS. Infected people are very weak to fight off other infectious disease and soon they will die. According to the data and statistics of WHO, global summary of the AIDS epidemic, 2009, the number of people living with HIV is around 33.3 million and AIDS death in 2009 is around 1.8 million. How about China situation? We couldn’t find much data about China situation. Therefore, we have to explore the situation from other sources. 2. Current Situation of AIDS in China According to the ministry of health of the people’s republic of China, the number of people living with AIDS is about 370 thousand and AIDS death is about 60 thousand. The figure is much different from the prediction of United Nations (UN), UN predicted that there will be 10 million people living with AIDS at the end of 2010. So, which figure is more reliable? I would suggest the UN one and the following is my reason. In the early 1990s, the Chinese leadership...
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...Aids a Communicable Disease Aids a Communicable Disease Communicable disease is an illness due to a specific infectious agent or its toxic products that arises through transmission of that agent or its products from an infected person, animal or inanimate reservoir to a susceptible host; either directly or indirectly through an intermediate plant or animal host, vector or the inanimate environment (UCLA, 2011). Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a communicable disease that has become a global epidemic. This paper will give the reader a description of the disease, demographic of interest, describe the determinants of health, the epidemiologic triangle as it relates to AIDS. This paper will also discuss the role of community health nurse and organizations that have made an impact on AIDS education and research. The first report of AIDS in medical literature was in 1981 at this time AIDS was known as a disease associated with being gay, this quickly changed when further research revealed a transfusion recipient had been diagnosed as well as an infant in 1982 (UCSF, 2003). The cause of AIDS comes from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which destroys CD4 cells this weakens the bodies immune system, a patient could have HIV for many years before it progresses to AIDS. A person is considered to be infected with AIDS when their CD4 count falls below 200 or they show any of the following symptoms: * Tuberculosis * Cryptosporidiosis * Pneumocystis pneumonia ...
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...HIV/AIDS Summary HIV/AIDS is the leading disease in America. This epidemic is causing millions of dollars to help and treat patients that are positively tested with HIV/AIDS. There are four different methods, HIV exposure, infections, diagnosis, AIDS diagnosis, and then there is death of HIV/AIDS. There are more than one million Americans living in today’s society that has this disease that is fatal to a human body. Even though HIV/AIDS has been the largest epidemic for the last 30 years, there has been highly active retro viral therapy that has been reducing the number of patients that test positive. In the 1990’s whites were up in number, now they are decreasing as in the blacks were down and now they are increasing in number. Even though there is a race ethnicity towards HIV/AIDS patients there is still others that offer up the transmitted disease such as men having sex with men, heterosexual, and the injection drug. Age can define the importance of having the disease as well. Starting at the age of 13 and up until 50; there are still chances to get HIV but the chances decrease the older you get. Looking at this epidemic in different regions of the United States has many concerns over the cases that are from Southern compared to other states in the country (Jen Kates, 2014). Medicaid, Medicare, Ryan White, and others are consumers for HIV/AIDS patients. The number one leading federal funding for HIV/AIDS is the Medicaid. There are over 200 thousand patients with low...
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...EBP Searchable Clinical Questions Graded Assignment #2 1. Clinical Question: In patients with AIDS, what is the average life expectancy among those who take single antiretroviral drugs versus those who do the aggressive Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART)? P = Patients with AIDS I = HAART C = single antiretroviral drug O = maximum life expectancy The reason I chose HIV/AIDS as a topic of study is that I strongly believe that treatment interventions can eliminate the belief that the diagnosis is a death sentence. I have also worked with patients with HIV/AIDS. When patients with HIV develop AIDS, it is important for them to know what treatment options are available to them. As of now, the treatment options are extreme. They entail the administration of antiretroviral drugs that are often used alone depending on the needs of the patient. Antiretroviral “Antiretroviral therapy suppresses the replication of the HIV virus in the body,” (AIDS, 2011). However, the use of combination therapy and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) are becoming increasingly common in the treatment of AIDS. HAART has the potential to be “very effective in reducing the number of HIV particles in the bloodstream,” (AIDS, 2011). However, these are extreme interventions that require the full cooperation not just of patient but of the entire medical team. Patients taking HAART need to be closely, caringly, and conscientiously monitored for side effects....
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...are essential for protecting the mankind, and they play a crucial role in the practice of health care. Laws and ethics play a vital role in cases such as organ donation, human genetics, and HIV/AIDS and confidentiality. The health care issue I selected for discussion is HIV/AIDS. In the case of HIV/AIDS patients, there is always ethical conflict of protecting the confidentiality of patient and disclosing the information to others about the risks of the disease. Salient Ethical and Legal Concerns Associated with HIV/AIDS As described by Pozgar (2013) one of the legal issues is the association between blood transfusion and HIV. Law suits often arise when a person with AIDA claims that he or she contracted the disease due to the administration of contaminated blood (Pozgar, 2013). Lawsuits commonly arise when there is transfusion of mismatched blood, improper screening, and improper storage procedures (Pozgar, 2013). Since May 1985, all blood donated in the United States are screened for HIV antibodies and even then patient’s may claim that they contracted the disease due to transfusion. Another legal and ethical issue is whether to allow the AIDS infected surgeons to perform surgeries. Pozgar (2013) described that the transmission of the virus from an infected surgeon to a patient is unlikely, but there is still a possibility. There is an ethical dilemma whether to allow these surgeons to perform surgeries or not. Because of the consequences of transmission, infected physician...
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...In my paper regarding communicable diseases I choose to discus HIV/AIDS. In this paper I will discuss HIV, and the different ways HIV is transmitted, to the many complications that are associated with HIV, and discuss how community health nurses can help patients develop a plan for managing the disease process. I will also refer to an agency that can help nurses gather data they need to treat patients physically, and emotionally, as well as resources for patients to refer to when they feel like they need questions answered to their questions. According to (AIDS.GOV) “HIV” stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. I will discuss what each letter represents: H – Human – This virus can only infect human beings. I – Immunodeficiency – HIV weakens your immune system by killing off vital cells that help fight the disease and infection. A weakened immune system cannot protect the host or human like it should be able to. V – Virus – A virus can only replicate over and over by invading a cell within the body of its host. HIV is similar to other viruses, such as the flu or the common cold. The biggest difference is that in time, our immune system can destroy most of the viruses in our bodies. With HIV the body’s immune system can't eradicate the virus. In turn once a patient is diagnosed with HIV they have it for the rest of their natural life. Like many viruses, HIV can lay dormant for extended periods of time in the cells of your body that attacks a key part of your immune system, the...
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...becomes a target for opportunistic cancers and infections to take advantage. Signs and symptoms of HIV vary from person to person and may take weeks to month to develop any type of symptoms, some people will show no signs at all. During the early stages of infection common signs will result in flu-like symptoms such as, fever, chills, night sweats, mouth ulcers, sore throat, ect. As HIV continues to progress in to the clinical latency stage, also known as “chronic HIV infection” there is very low levels of disease reproduction. During this stage of infection patients may have very mild symptoms or none at all. The last stage of HIV is the progression to AIDs. During this stage of the disease patients will commonly experience flu-like symptoms accompanied by rapid weight loss, fatigue, swelling of lymph node, discomfort of mouth, anus, or genitals, discoloration of skin or inner mouth, eyelids or nose. Patients may also experience depression, memory loss and other neurologic disorders. Although these are common signs and symptoms the only way to determine an infection is with a positive HIV test. HIV is not an easily contracted disease and can only be transmitted through human bodily fluids such as blood, semen, breast milk, vaginal, and rectal fluids. HIV is commonly spread from specific activities such as sexual behaviors or the use of contaminated syringes or needle use. The contraction of HIV occurs when the...
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...and health information would be protected; Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA. Among other things this act ensured that a person’s health would remain private and secure from the public and that the patients had a say so as to whom would be able to know their information and just how much of it (Green & Bowie, 2005). This act has help those with HIV and AIDS remain safe within the communities they reside; without this act they could be discriminated or ousted even more than they are. For those with these diseases their lives could be ruined if not for HIPAA; one to the best acts of the Clinton administration. The Difference Before it can be understood why this information should be covered with such privacy there needs to be an understanding of the two diseases. Simply put Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV is a type of retrovirus that attacks healthy body cells; therefore, making it harder to fight off any type of virus. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS is severe infections cause by HIV cases. Just because a person is HIV positive, this does not mean that they will contract AIDS. This is possible, due to drug combination from two different classes of drugs to control HIV and stopping it from turning into AIDS. However, HIV is still very contagious and the positive person must make life style changes to ensure there is not further spreading of the disease but they can pursue the same happiness as everyone else (Mayo Clinic, 2012)...
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...HIV/ AIDS What is AIDS ? It is a pandemic disease. AIDS cannot be compared to disease like malaria and cholera which claim more live in country currently. It has a greater impact than other disease. The treatment options are still in the initial stages and are prohibitively expensive. There are instances of quacks taking advantage of the situation. This has compounded the misery of AIDS patients. History of HIV AIDS: It was first noticed in USA in 1981. The American and French scientist independently identified the AIDS virus 1984. The virus first named as HCLV III ( Human cell leukemia virus III). The name (Human cell leukemia deficiency virus) is now preferred. It now seems that HIV first passed into human from chimpanzees by eating butchered chimps. 10% of the people, who get AIDS virus infection, actually develop full blown AIDS. Causes of HIV/AIDS HIV is a retrovirus capable of rapid mutation that produces a latent infection that develops over a long period. To infect a human, HIV must attach to specific host cells known as CD4 cells, which are responsible for regulating the immune system. Once it has occupied a host cell, the virus copies the DNA of the cell, rendering it invisible to the body's defense system. The virus replicates itself within the cells, producing numerous virus particles that bud from the surface of the cell, destroying the cell and moving on to attach to another CD4 cell. For several weeks or months after initial infection the patient...
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...Kaposi’s Sarcoma Kaposi’s Sarcoma Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) is a malignant tumor of the blood and lymphatic vessels. KS is caused by the human herpes virus-8(HHV8). The disease occurs frequently in immunodeficient HIV-AIDS patients and organ donor recipients taking immune suppressant medications. KS is often a sign that HIV has progressed into AIDS. Before the HIV-AIDS epidemic, the classical case of KS was typically found in older males of Eastern European and Italian descent. The disease developed slowly in a period of about 10-15 years versus the rapid growth in immune deficient patients. KS is associated with red, purple or black lesions on the skin. Patients often complain of swelling, pain and itching from infected areas. KS can spread quickly to the mucous membranes of the nose, mouth, respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, spleen, bones and other internal organs. Tumors that develop in the respiratory tract have a high rate of mortality in patients. Coughing up blood, shortness of breath and finally respiratory failure can occur. GI tumors tend to be asymptomatic but diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, headache, fever and bleeding are common symptoms of the disease process. Urinary incontinence and retention have been reported. Before KS is formally diagnosed, a biopsy is performed on infected tissues. Samples are taken from lesions and examined closely under a microscope. Endoscopy is used to collect samples from the throat, stomach, lungs and intestines. Chest...
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...unfortunately still untreatable. There is no cure for these diseases even though they have been researched for years, these untreatable diseases include but are not limited to cancer, and one of the most deadly diseases Aids and HIV. Having HIV does not mean that the person also has the Aids virus; it means that they have the virus that causes Aids. However if a person has Aids than they also have HIV sense HIV is the virus that causes Aids to set in. There have been over 980,000 cases of Aids reported in the United States since 1981 (Center for Disease control, 2009). HIV and AIDs are not the same disease; HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and can be caught on contact. HIV can turn into the AIDS virus though it takes time which can vary in length from a couple of months to years. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome this means that once the HIV virus starts attacking the immune system and breaks down the necessary cells that keep the body healthy, than AIDS sets in. If however HIV is detected early and medical treatment is established it is possible for the patient to survive with the HIV virus for years. There are medications that can be taken to boost the immune system and help fight back the virus to prevent the onset of AIDS. This virus is spread through the physical transmission of bodily fluids. Transmission of this virus can range in form. The transmission of bodily fluids sounds complex however it can occur with the simplest of acts...
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... I. AIDS is a disease caused by a virus called HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). The illness alters the immune system, making people much more vulnerable to infections and diseases. This susceptibility worsens as the disease progresses. HIV is found in the body fluids of an infected person (semen and vaginal fluids, blood and breast milk). The virus is passed from one person to another through blood-to-blood and sexual contact. In addition, infected pregnant women can pass HIV to their babies during pregnancy, delivering the baby during childbirth, and through breast feeding. HIV can be transmitted in many ways, such as vaginal, oral sex, anal sex, blood transfusion, and contaminated hypodermic needles. Both the virus and the disease are often referred to together as HIV/AIDS. People with HIV have what is called HIV infection. As a result, some will then develop AIDS. The development of numerous opportunistic infections in an AIDS patient can ultimately lead to death. According to research, the origins of HIV date back to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century in west-central Africa. AIDS and its cause, HIV, were first identified and recognized in the early 1980s. There is currently no cure for HIV/AIDS. Treatments can slow the course of the disease - some infected people can live a long and relatively healthy life. II. What is the difference between HIV and AIDS? HIV is the virus which attacks...
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...Tina M Thompson Grand Canyon University: Concepts in Community Health Nursing NRS- 427V March 25, 2015 Abstract HIV and AIDS is a relatively new disease. It started making news in the 1980’s and quickly became front page news. This was a disease that appeared out of nowhere and starting killing people by the thousands. Never before had we seen a disease that was so deadly. We didn’t know what caused it, how it was spread, or if there was any way to treat it. Those were definitely very frightening times. Now, thirty years later we have a few of those answers. We are going to look at this disease, what causes it, how it’s spread, treatments, complications, and who is affected. Unfortunately we won’t be discussing how it’s cured, at least not yet….. History HIV and AIDS first made an appearance in the 1980’s and proceeded to change the world as we knew it. When it burst onto the scene it was “their” disease. Who were “they”? “They” were homosexuals and drug addicts who shared needles. HIV had already been discovered in Africa and of course we heard about it on the news, but it didn’t really affect us here in the United States so it wasn’t our problem. Right…. When the news broke that famous actor and sex symbol Rock Hudson had AIDS everyone was shocked. How was that possible?? Rock Hudson wasn’t a junkie and he certainly wasn’t gay, so how could this happen? That was the worlds wake up call. What Is HIV? Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is...
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