The United States has been a huge player in the epidemic caused by HIV. The United States has 1.1 million people that are affected and the majority are from one group of individuals. HIV can be spread from one person to another by sexual encounters, injection of drugs, sharing of needles and many other not as prevalent modes. Annually there’s around 40,000 new infections and around 6,000 people die a year. All of these effects come from multiple factors of society and culture. [1]
The societal factors can include different groups of individuals specifically men who have sex with men, transgender people and people who inject drugs. These groups of people have a much higher percentage of infection with HIV and this is because of the acts that they participate allow them to have a higher risk of infection. To be specific men who have sex with men make up about 70% of the HIV infected population because of the acts that they participate in. [2]
The cultural factors that contribute include the specific acts that are mentioned above. For example the men who have sex with men are less likely to use condoms when participating in sexual acts, which only makes the risk of HIV higher. As well as not wearing condoms they also participate in sexual intercourse with a higher number of individuals on average and this sexual web is a huge problem. Another cultural factor that faces a different group is the use of non-sterile needles by those who inject drugs. Drugs alter thoughts and decision making, which can lead to using needles that are not sterile and potentially infected with HIV. Again this puts the individuals who participate in each of these acts at a higher risk. A statistic from avert.org stated that 30% of the people who transmit HIV are undiagnosed and increase the risk for everyone else. Even though there are a lot of cultural and societal effects that contribute to HIV, there are also factors that contribute to the prevention of the disease and the U.S. is at the forefront of treatment. [3]
The factors of prevention include education, monetary backing and political recognition. Most people in the U.S. are aware of the risks of HIV from the time of childhood and understand that there are simple ways that can prevent the disease, like wearing a condom and making sure that partners are tested. Part of this education is because of the monetary and political backing that was created by President Obama in 2010 as the first National HIV/AIDS strategy and then updated in 2015. The strategy has heightened the awareness for HIV and made many Americans more cautious when participating with sexual partners. This awareness officially created in 2010 but started much earlier has led both the infected and non-infected population to look for solutions to cure the disease and in 2019 the second case was proven to be “cured”. This “cure” is an antiretroviral treatment that can prevent the transmission of the disease to anyone further. Another treatment that is being implemented is pre-exposure prophylaxis where HIV-negative people can be exposed PrEP to prevent future infection.[4]
HIV in the U.S. is currently at an all-time high and based off the statistics stated before one in 8 of people infected with HIV are unaware of their infection. The disease was in its highest effect in the 1980s and has been on the constant incline since, but the amount of new infections annually has dropped to about half of what it was in the 80s. [5]To completely get rid of HIV would take a lot more than a one sentence solution. It would require the implementation of all the prevention measure stated above as well as the 100% participation in these measures by people infected. The problem with 100% participation is that as stated before 30% of people don’t know they have AIDS and the among the other 70% some of the people don’t want to come forward saying they have AIDS because they are ashamed.[6]
AIDS is a disease that in my opinion is never going to get stopped. Too many people have the disease and too many people are unwilling to follow the precautionary guidelines to preventing AIDS solely because they don’t want to. As long as these careless acts continue the terrible disease of AIDS will continue to exist.
[1]https://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-around-world/western-central-europe-north-america/usa
[2]https://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-around-world/western-central-europe-north-america/usa
[3]https://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-around-world/western-central-europe-north-america/usa
[4]https://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-around-world/western-central-europe-north-america/usa
[5]https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/docs/factsheets/todaysepidemic-508.pdf
[6]https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/the-end-of-hiv-transmission-in-the-u-s-a-once-unthinkable-dream-becomes-an-openly-discussed-goal