Prevention and Transmission

                   Hello all! I wanted to follow up the previous post with some more important facts regarding the prevention and transmission of HIV, so that you can make smart, informed decisions! 

First off HIV can be spread via sexual intercourse(vaginal and anal), oral sex, sharing infected needles, and from mother to child(San Fransisco AIDs Foundation, 2016). HIV spreads when people have sexual intercourse through the mucus membrane or through microscopic cuts in these areas(San Fransisco AIDs Foundation, 2016). HIV could also spread through oral sex if an HIV positive person’s semen, vaginal fluid and/or blood comes in contact with the throat, gums, or oral membranes(San Fransisco AIDs Foundation, 2016).Sharing infected needles allows for a direct transfer between the infected blood into the non infected blood thereby allowing this disease to spread(San Fransisco AIDs Foundation, 2016). Lastly, this disease can spread from infected  mother to child via childbirth or breastfeeding. It is important to note that HIV cannot be transmitted by saliva, which is a commonly believed myth. The picture below is a good infographic that can be used by public health officials to catch people's attention. 

                               Source: http://observationdeck.kinja.com/ask-me-anything-about-hiv-prevention-and-other-random-s-1607263505 

                  While anyone can contract HIV, there are certain groups who are more at risk than others. Drug Addicts, Sex workers, Children of HIV positive mothers, economically disadvantaged people, people who identify with gay/bisexual sexual orientation, African Americans, and Alaska natives are all at risk for this disease(Who is at risk for HIV, 2014). Drug addicts often sharer needles with many people thereby increasing their chances of contracting the disease. Economically disadvantaged people are undereducated as well as under resourced to receive the proper treatment and/or resources. African Americans, American indians/ Alaska natives, and gay/bisexual people are at risk due to the high prevalence of HIV/AIDs in their communities. It is also important to not while these are the most “at risk” groups, the disease is most prevalent in sub-saharan Africa(HIV/AIDs, n.d.). These people are largely fat a disadvantage due to their lack of economic resources/health care.

The most effective preventative measure to avoid HIV/AIDs is abstinence from any sexual activity(Olimpo J., Personal communication, HIV lecture, January 16, 2016). If abstinence is not possible, preventative measures such as condoms should be used. Condoms, prevent any fluid from entering the uninfected person(Olimpo J., Personal communication, HIV lecture, January 16, 2016). Blood transfusion should be administered very cautiously to prevent any infected persons from donating blood. If a person is diagnosed with HIV/AID’s their best bet is to undergo Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (Olimpo J., Personal communication, HIV lecture, January 16, 2016). This therapy is not a cure, but it slows down the progression of the disease to allow infected individuals to live the healthiest life possible(What is HAART?, 2012). 

                  I think that all of these preventative measures and treatment are effective. However, realistically I caution public health officials to not exclusively advertise abstinence as a preventative technique, especially adolescents and young adults. It is expected that Sixty two percent of seniors in high school have had sexual intercourse(Adolescent Sexual Behavior:Demographics, n.d.). Therefore, when educating this demographic it is important for people to stress the importance of using precautionary messages such as condoms. 

Lastly, since this disease effects so many people, I think there should be more research conducted. As it stands, of the federal funds dedicated to HIV, only 9% is dedicated to research(U.S. Federal Funding for HIV/AIDs, 2015). The more money that is allotted to research there is a chance that they will be able to find out more about the disease could lead to even more effective drug treatments. 

                                                           References

How is HIV / AIDS transmitted? - San Francisco AIDS Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22, 2016, from http://sfaf.org/hiv-info/basics/how-is-hiv-transmitted.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

Who is at Risk for HIV? (2014.). Retrieved January 22, 2016, from https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/prevention/reduce-your-risk/who-is-at-risk-for-hiv/

Olimpo J., Personal communication, HIV lecture, January 16, 2016

HIV / AIDS. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22, 2016, from http://www.who.int/immunization/topics/hiv/en/index1.html

What Is HAART? (2012, July). Retrieved January 22, 2016, from http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/hivaids/what-haart

Adolescent Sexual Behavior: Demographics. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22, 2016, from http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/publications-a-z/413-adolescent-sexual-behavior-i-demographics

U.S. Federal Funding for HIV/AIDS: The President’s FY 2016 Budget Request. (2015). Retrieved January 22, 2016, from http://kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/u-s-federal-funding-for-hivaids-the-presidents-fy-2016-budget-request/

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