Addressing the Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic

This assignment delves into the critical issue of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. It analyzes the factors contributing to its spread, including ignorance, poverty, and social stigma. The document emphasizes the inadequacy of current responses in both developed and developing nations. The conclusion stresses the urgent need for global leadership, governmental action, and non-governmental initiatives to implement comprehensive strategies and policies focused on equality and awareness to combat this devastating epidemic.

Comparison of HIV/AIDS Affecting Sex Worker sin
USA and South Africa
Author’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date

Introduction:
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has become one of the most deadly and life taking
diseases of the twenty first century. According to recent UN report approximately 22 million
people have already dies globally and another 40 million people are currently is suffering
from HIV (United Nations, 2017). These illnesses have spread on a much rapid phase, as well
accompanied by poor health, death, poverty and misery along with it. The African continent
is one of the most badly affected countries that have been affected by the epidemic of HIV,
although it is still in its earlier stages in other parts of the world. The HIV epidemic is not
only the reason of death of millions but also affecting their families, communities and
economies by imposing heavy burdens. Even the wretchedness and damage of HIV has
already been felt in large but according to United Nations, the coming generations will have
to face the worst effect of this disease.
HIV is a retrovirus which causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) which is a
human disease where an individual’s body defence or immunity system slowly fails as a
result contaminated by severe infections and other diseases. One of the most common noted
from of getting infected by AIDS viruses are transmission through unprotected sex with an
individual who is infected by the HIV viruses. This can happen in both heterosexual as well
as homosexual unprotected sexual intercourse. Other possible human behaviours which can
transmit HIV AIDS viruses are breast feeding to new born whose mothers are already
infected by the virus, using used needles and razors by HIV patients, and HIV contaminated
mothers pass on the virus to the newborn during birth. Although till date there has been no
cure for HIV AIDS, there are some treatments that needs lifelong utilization of a blend of
anti-retroviral drugs and a cocktail of other drugs to deal with any other probable infections.

In the following article, the author has focused USA and South Africa as the countries of
observation because to examine the governmental and communal response to the occurring
changes due to rising concern of HIV AIDS.
HIV/AIDS and the Sex Workers:
Sex workers are generally the social out caste in most of the developed as well as
underdeveloped nations. Therefore, they generally belong to the social and economically
poorer section of the society with little no access to basic education, health care system and
usually engaged in illegal sexual activities. Like, in US prostitution is not legalized and it has
been observed that most of the HIV infected population are a street prostitute who does not
have the access to health care system or the knowledge of HIV preventive methods. The
situation is similarly worst in South Africa as most of the sex workers or prostitutes belong to
the economically deprived communities therefore they are forced to work in the flesh trade
industry for quick bucks, as a result most of them come into this industry at a very early stage
of their life when they have little to no knowledge about the risks of being contaminated by
AIDS viruses, therefore they get infected before realizing (Bennett, et al, 2010). The
situations in organized sex industry like escort services and brothels are much in control.
Also, sex workers from both US and South Africa are more vulnerable towards infecting HIV
viruses are due to criminalization that leaves them helplessly accepting in engaging in
unprotected sex, sexual abuses with impunity and condom elimination by law enforcement
officers as evidence of them. As a result, the extensive sexual abuse and physical violent
behaviour by clients, law enforcement officers and other factors leads to HIV infections to a
greater extent (Mukandavire, et al. (2010). In a recent study that was conducted in six nations
and that includes South Africa as well as USA showed that sex workers who carry condoms
are regularly harassed and under pressure from polices as a result sex workers prefer not to

carry condoms with them and engages in un-protective sexual activities (Reif, et al. 2011).
Also, sometimes sex workers have to negotiate and become powerless victims for performing
un-protective sex with their clients which also increases the risk of HIV transmission.
Therefore, often the sex workers act as the bridge or the medium for transmitting HIV viruses
from one male to another.
Living Environment:
Generally, HIV has an enormous psychological, communal, and economic impact on the
infected individual as well as on the society and economy as a whole. One of the most
effected groups who suffer a disproportionate HIV burden is the sex workers. Although
developed nations like USA provides sex worker specific HIV infected and risk behaviour
predictions regularly in UNAIDS reports. Still it has been observed that the sex workers
remain evidently missing from the US domestic HIV policies. The US’s national surveillance
system fall short of disaggregate the risks, threat and also treatment results associated with
HIV that considers sex workers (Berger, 2010). The report also fails to include sex exchange
as a potential transmission method for spread of HIV diseases. It has been observed that the
CDC website of US that is dedicated to sex workers and HIV also fall short of data and
preventive recommendations for the sex workers. As a result, due to shortage of data and
inability to develop an effective a national HIV response focusing the heterosexual sex
workers, they continue to become invisible and as a result they are marginalized in the policy
of US.
On the other hand the rising number of affected sex workers with HIV disease is also
alarming. It is estimated that more than sixty percent of the total number of female sex
workers in South Africa are affected by AIDS viruses (Karim & Karim, 2010). Although the
study was carried out in 2014, the sample size was relatively small; as a result most scholars

argue the hidden population that still exists in remote areas who was not covered in the
survey. Although, the South African government has recently taken note of the rising issue of
HIV epidemic among the sex workers and taken many legislative steps and policies to
prevent the disease to spread (East & Africa, 2010). Generally, sex works have ore number of
sexual partners who engages in unprotected sexual activities as a result, the sex workers
become more open towards getting infected and transmitting the HIV viruses into multiple
partners.
Health Care System:
To address the increasing risks of HIV AIDS viruses in both US and South Africa, the
government has acted in reforming their policy to address the issue. One of the main
shortcomings in the process is due to lack of appropriate resources to enforce such policy
measures. The US government has implemented National HIV AIDS Strategy (NHAS) but
the strategy is not sufficiently funded as a result it is not a successful campaign. On the other
hand, the South African Government has facing many problems and limitations in
implementing an effective HIV treatment policy due to lack of funding and proper resources.
Society and HIV:
Society plays a bigger role in the rising concerns of HIV AIDS and its effects, as
stigmatization by the society intensifies its impact, as it hold back the preventive methods and
managing HIV affected patients (Blas & Kurup, 2010). It also obstructs social support
systems as families abandon the affected when the HIV status is disclosed. As a result, most
of the time, the HIV patients and affected individuals prefer to keep in closet rather than
going for medical and other legislative help from the government. As, most of the HIV
population belongs from the lower socio-economic strata they have poor access to education,

health care system and diagnosis system, they also fails to effort the expensive and lifelong
medical treatments (Dean & Fenton, 2010). In USA, it has been observed that most of the
sex workers who are affected by the HIV viruses belong to the African American community
and also the risks of getting infected by HIV virus is twenty times more for an African
American female than a white American female (CDC, 2017). Therefore, it can be observed
that how gender, ethnic inequity, and financial deficiency robustly put forward sex exchange
as a method that social determinants manipulate HIV.
Conclusion:
HIV AIDS is one of the most devastating epidemics that have been witnessed in human
history and it has been responsible for taking more lives every year. Yet there is a lack of
proper long term strategy and policies to address the issue. Ignorance, lack of proper health
care facilities, poverty, social stigma and lack of knowledge and awareness are the factors
which are facilitating in the spread of the epidemic virus. The rising issue of HIV virus needs
an immediate attention on a global scale. Even developed nations like USA and South Africa
are inadequate in effective handling of the epidemic due to lack of proper infrastructure and
awareness. Therefore, in conclusion it can be stated that to avoid the devastating future
consequences of the HIV epidemic, the world leaders and other governmental and non
governmental institutions should come forward in addressing the issue and take subsequent
and effective measures and policies though equality and awareness.

Reference:
Bennett, L., Hankins, C., & Sherr, L. (2013). AIDS as a gender issue: psychosocial
perspectives. Taylor & Francis.
Berger, M. T. (2010). Workable sisterhood: The political journey of stigmatized women with
HIV/AIDS. Princeton University Press.
Blas, E., & Kurup, A. S. (Eds.). (2010). Equity, social determinants and public health
programmes. World Health Organization.
CDC. (2017). Today’s HIV/AIDS Epidemic. www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 3 October 2017, from
https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/docs/factsheets/todaysepidemic-508.pdf
Dean, H. D., & Fenton, K. A. (2010). Addressing social determinants of health in the
prevention and control of HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections,
and tuberculosis. url:
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/00333549101250S401
East, S., & Africa, S. S. (2010). Towards universal access: scaling up priority HIV/AIDS
interventions in the health sector. Europe, 85(000).
Karim, S. A., & Karim, Q. A. (Eds.). (2010). HIV/Aids in South Africa. Cambridge
University Press.
Mukandavire, Z., Das, P., Chiyaka, C., & Nyabadza, F. (2010). Global analysis of an
HIV/AIDS epidemic model. World Journal of Modelling and Simulation, 6(3), 231-
240. URl: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?
doi=10.1.1.571.5597&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Reif, S., Whetten, K., Wilson, E., & Gong, W. (2011). HIV/AIDS epidemic in the South
reaches crisis proportions in last decade. Duke Center for Health Policy and
Inequalities Research. url: http://chpir.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/HIVAIDS-
Epidemic-in-the-South-Reaches-Crisis-Proportions-in-Last-Decade.pdf
United Nations. (2017). global-AIDS-update-2016. http://www.unaids.org. Retrieved 3
October 2017, from http://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/global-
AIDS-update-2016_en.pdf