Health and Disease KQ2 and KQ3 (HIV) Flashcards
What is HIV/AIDS?
- Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks cells of the immune system by destroying white blood cells critical in fighting infection
- Immune system loses ability to fight infection, causing Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), the final stage of HIV
- Body prone to infections, basic diseases cause death
- HIV/AIDS lasts for a lifetime, no known cure
- HIV-positive persons may not develop symptoms for 9-10 years
- HIV may develop into AIDS
How is HIV/AIDS transmitted?
- Transmitted via blood/bodily fluids
1) Sexual contact
- Most common form of HIV/AIDS transmission
- If partner has STD, risk of infection even higher since immune system already weakened
2) Sharing of infected needles
- Increasing in many DCs
- Accounts for 1/3 of HIV/AIDS infections in North America, China, Eastern Europe
3) Blood transfusions
- Accounts for 5-10% of infections worldwide
- 250-500 people in Africa infected each day from tainted blood
4) Pregnant mothers to baby
- Placenta membrane does not allow HIV virus to pass to unborn child
- Cross contamination of blood and breastfeeding btwn mother and child spread virus
- 25% of babies born to HIV-positive mothers have HIV
Extent and spread of HIV/AIDS
- Spread via expansion and relocation diffusion
- 40million people living with HIV/AIDS in 2021
- 54% of HIV-positives women and girls
- 51% new infections in sub-Saharan Africa
Groups vulnerable to HIV/AIDS
1) Infants and children
- 3.4 million living with HIV/AIDS, 390,000 infections per year
2) Women
- 2x more likely than men to contract HIV/AIDS during sex
- More likely to be subjected to sex w/o consent
3) Uneducated
- Lack sexuality education and awareness
- Not knowledgeable about preventive measures/safe sex
4) People participating in risk-taking activities
- Sharing infected needles
- Many sexual parties
Factors contributing to spread of HIV/AIDS
> Social
1) Social stigma
2) Education
3) Lifestyle choices
4) Lapses in medical procedures
> Economic
1) Vice trade
2) Mobility
3) Globalisation
4) Tourism
SF: Social stigma
- Extreme disapproval associated with particular circumstance/quality of person
- Discrimination, rejection, expulsion causes:
1) Refusal to HC/HS
2) Rejection by family and community
3) Expulsion from school, sacked from job
4) Denial from housing - Impedes early intervention and treatment
- May find prostitutes to avoid prejudice
- Continues to infect people via expansion diffusion
SF: Education
- Lack of education, unaware how disease is transmitted
- Do not know how to protect and avoid infection
- Continue risk taking activities
- Cultural practices may prevent women from knowing about sex and sexuality until marriage, making women susceptible to STDs, HIV/AIDS etc
e.g. Nigeria, discussion about sex deemed inappropriate, no sex-ed
SF: Lifestyle choices
- Drug injections, sharing of needles and drug paraphernalia
- Refusal to practice safe sex
- Refuse to test for diseases
- Drug injection raise risk of contracting HIV/AIDS by 35x
- Drug and alcohol intoxication leads to impaired judgement, resulting in unsafe sexual practices
SF: Lapses in medical procedure
- Mistakes, corruption and negligence associated w/ medical practices
- 5-10% infections transmitted by blood transfusions tainted with HIV/AIDS
- Result from no effective blood screening before donation
e.g. 1/1.5million in USA are exposed to HIV from medical containers and syringes
EconF: Vice trades
- Business activities involving illegal drugs/commercial sex work
> Commercial sex workers
e.g. China, females from villages to cities in search of work have limited education and job training
- Resort to commercial sex work due to lack of options
- Sex workers 30x more likely to acquire HIV
> Drug trafficking
- Increases chances of sharing needles w/ infected people w/o knowing
- Drug abusers 35x more likely to acquire HIV
EconF: Mobility
- Movement of people from one place to another, often for work reasons
- Determined by type of work
- Workers who leave families behind, living in foreign place, feel socially excluded get involved in risk-taking activities (i.e. prostitution, heavy drinking)
EconF: Globalisation
- Development of transportation aids in relocation diffusion
- HIV relocated more rapidly across globe
EconF: Tourism
- Tourist industry causes relocation
- Tourists more likely to take risks outside of home
- Drink more/ unsafe sex practices
e.g. Queensland, Australia, 2010
- Highest incidence of HIV/AIDS (206 cases)
- Tourist travelled to Papua New Guinea, a destination w/ high HIV prevalence
Impacts of HIV/AIDS
> Social
1) Life expectancy and IMR
2) Orphan crisis
> Economic
1) Cost of HC
2) Loss of productivity
SI: Life expectancy and IMR
- Increased deaths, decreased life expectancy, population size and slows population growth, IMR increased
- Large number of deaths in LDCs where HIV/AIDS is prevalent
e.g. Sub Saharan Africa
- Life Expectancy decreased 6 years
- Projected decrease of 10.8 years by 2025
- Availability and awareness of treatment has improved over the years, life expectancies increasing, IMR decreased
SI: Orphan crisis
- Large numbers of children lose their parents due to HIV/AIDS
- 17million orphans due to HIV/AIDS, 87% from Sub-Saharan Africa
> Carers and orphanages
- Many orphans cared for by extended family
- Carers plagued by poverty due to medical costs and living expenses incurred from extra burden
- Orphanages built by NGOs offer some alleviation
- Still many orphans w/o support from adults
- Around 500,000 orphans in Kenya have no support from relatives/family friends
- Vulnerable to forced labour, sex work and child solderism
> Orphans
- Suffer emotional trauma of losing parents
- Often stigmatised by society through association w/ HIV/AIDS
- Assumed to be HIV- positive
- Loss of parents limits access to basic necessities
- More likely to suffer from malnutrition
- Poor education will hinder them from treatment/preventive measures
- More likely to contract HIV/AIDS themselves
- Lowered SOL
EI: Cost of HC
- Expensive for individual and country
- Treatment and research
- HC expenditure from govt
- Govts/NGOs may choose to bear and subsidise cost of drugs and treatment
- Diverts resources away from other sectors
- e.g. South Africa, US$1.2billion spent on HIV/AIDS treatment
> Anti-retroviral drugs
- Keeps HIV/AIDS from progressing in body
- Stops patients from suffering from complications due to HIV/AIDS
- Needs to be taken for a lifetime
- Costs add up to significant amount
- Not all can afford, financial burden
- May be expensive in both DCs and LDCS
e.g. SG: US$160-1,200/month
LDCs: US$6-75/month
> Pregnant women
- Must go through screening for HIV/AIDS prior to delivery
- reduces risks of passing HIV/AIDS to child
- Adds to expenses and financial burden
EF: Loss of productivity
- Results in slower economic growth and dev. of country
- Diversion of resources to treat HIV/AIDS
- Absence of infra. such as roads, public transport, schools and sanitation facilities
- Businesses less likely to invest in places w/ inadequate infra and no skilled labour
- Lack of funds = less effective education system
- Lower skilled workforce, businesses understaffed
- Deters foreign investment
- Hinders economic growth
e.g. Economic growth in Uganda slows 1.2% each year due to HIV/AIDS
- Will reduce up to 39% by 2025 due to HIV/AIDS
Challenges in managing HIV/AIDS
> Socio-economic
1) Lifestyle choices
2) Misconceptions about HIV/AIDS
3) Difficulties in HIV detection
4) Social stigma leading to non-reporting of disease
5) High costs of anti-retroviral drugs
6) Population movement across borders and highways
SEC: Lifestyle choices
- Risk-taking activities from young age
i.e. Sexually active at young age
i.e. Many sexual partners/polygamy
i.e. Injecting of drugs - Difficult to change/influence people´s lifestyle choices
- Rooted in traditions, values, beliefs
e.g. Tribes in Africa practice Polygamy
- Testing for HIV/AIDS may not be practiced
- Allows HIV/AIDS to spread further amongst population
SEC: Misconceptions about HIV/AIDS
- Drive people to partake in risk-taking activities
- Due to poor education of sexuality and low HIV/AIDS awareness
e.g. Not able to spread HIV/AIDS when receiving treatment
e.g. Only homosexuals can contract HIV/AIDS
SEC: Difficulties in HIV detection
- No visible sign of disease
- Unknowingly infected people continue w/ normal behaviour, potentially infecting many others
- People with limited access to HC have greater difficulty obtaining HIV testing
- Not knowing HIV status major cause of spread of disease
- 5.9 million unaware they were living w/ HIV in 2021
SEC: Social stigma leading to non-reporting of disease
- Social stigma associated w/ HIV causes many to stay away from testing/receiving treatment
- May choose to remain silent about HIV status
- Continue to infect sexual partners
- Choose to not take medicine properly (inconsistent/not take at all)
- HC providers may deny treatment
- HIV seen as waste of valuable resources
- Afraid of catching HIV/AIDS themselves
e.g. 2008 UNAIDS study
- 27% of americans prefer not to work with women with HIV/AIDS
SEC: High cost of Anti-retroviral drugs
- Controls disease and improves QOL
- Reduces risk of transmission
- Effective in reducing deaths
- Treatment costly and unaffordable to many
- Other fees (i.e. consultation) adds to financial burden
- Long travel and waiting times discourage people from seeking treatment
- Seen as waste of time that can be used to make money
