HIV and AIDS With the use of descriptive epidemiology we can explore public health problems that affect individuals and communities. Observational studies focus on assessing the health status of communities and evaluating the outbreak of a new disease or occurrence (Chamberlain University, 2018). One public health problem that has been since the 1980s is HIV/AIDS. This virus is said to have crossed from chimps to humans in the 1920s and is now affecting millions of people all over the world.
Public Health Problem
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the immune system. The HIV virus can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is a more severe phase of HIV, the immune system is badly damaged and the …show more content…
On a global scale, by the end of 2016, 36 million people were living with HIV/AIDS (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). Africa is the most affected by this disease with 1 in every 25 adults having HIV/AIDS. This accounts for two-thirds of the people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. In 2016 one million people died from and HIV/AIDS related illness (World Health Organization, 2018). In 2014 there was an estimated 37,600 new infections reported in the United States. Although HIV can affect anyone from background, race, gender, and age there are groups that are more likely to become infected. Some populations are at higher risk based on their geographic region, socioeconomic status, and education. African Americans have the highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS compared to other races/ethnicities. Latinos/Hispanics gay and bisexual men account for 7 in 10 HIV diagnoses among the Latino/Hispanic community. Asians have the lowest prevalence of HIV/AIDS among other …show more content…
In regards to antiretroviral medication further research should be conducted to test when exactly the bets time to start treatment is. Clinical studies can be done to test different drugs preventing HIV/AIDS. Studies conducted can help to better understand how antiviral drugs along with the T cells in the body fight the HIV virus. Community based participatory research can be conducted to analyze the access people have to preventive care and healthcare after becoming infected. This can also help epidemiologist understand how geographic location, socioeconomic status, education, and race/ethnicity influence the risk of
Public Health Problem
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the immune system. The HIV virus can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is a more severe phase of HIV, the immune system is badly damaged and the …show more content…
On a global scale, by the end of 2016, 36 million people were living with HIV/AIDS (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). Africa is the most affected by this disease with 1 in every 25 adults having HIV/AIDS. This accounts for two-thirds of the people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. In 2016 one million people died from and HIV/AIDS related illness (World Health Organization, 2018). In 2014 there was an estimated 37,600 new infections reported in the United States. Although HIV can affect anyone from background, race, gender, and age there are groups that are more likely to become infected. Some populations are at higher risk based on their geographic region, socioeconomic status, and education. African Americans have the highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS compared to other races/ethnicities. Latinos/Hispanics gay and bisexual men account for 7 in 10 HIV diagnoses among the Latino/Hispanic community. Asians have the lowest prevalence of HIV/AIDS among other …show more content…
In regards to antiretroviral medication further research should be conducted to test when exactly the bets time to start treatment is. Clinical studies can be done to test different drugs preventing HIV/AIDS. Studies conducted can help to better understand how antiviral drugs along with the T cells in the body fight the HIV virus. Community based participatory research can be conducted to analyze the access people have to preventive care and healthcare after becoming infected. This can also help epidemiologist understand how geographic location, socioeconomic status, education, and race/ethnicity influence the risk of