Health HIV and AIDS Australia Essay 2022

Running head: HEALTH 1
Health
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

HEALTH 2
Introduction
HIV/AIDS represents Human Immunodeficiency Virus /Acquired Immunodeficiency
Syndrome. HIV is a virus that damages the immune system while AIDS is a set of symptoms
resulting from HIV. HIV/AIDS is a worldwide endemic but its ramifications, as well as
dynamics, are exposed distinctly around the globe (Whiteside, 2016). This essay describes the
condition of HIV/AIDS in Thailand as well as Australia and compares the impact of gender
along with economic condition on sex workers in the situation of HIV/AIDS in those nations.
Moreover, it identifies the recommendations of the effects of social determinants of health on the
group in the nations’ context.
Sex workers are 13 times more at the peril of HIV contrary to the entire population
because of the escalated likelihood of being economically vulnerable. The prevalence of
Australian individuals with HIV/AIDS in 2017 was 0.14 percent and the proportion amongst
female sex workers continued to be 0.13 percent per 100 person-years from 2013 to 2017 and
was 0.13 per 100 person-years in 2017 (Kirby Institute. 2018). On the other hand, HIV
prevalence in Thailand is far greater amongst male sex workers compared to females. The
incidence of sex workers in 2014 was 1 percent among female sex workers and 12 percent amid
male sex workers (Avert Organization. 2018).
HIV situation and its risk factors among the vulnerable group in the context of Australia
and Thailand
In the Australian context, an estimation of 25,313 individuals had HIV/AIDS at the end
of 2015 of whom an approximation of 2,619 individuals was not aware of their HIV-positive
status (Australian Federation of AIDS Organizations. 2018). The occurrence of HIV among
female sex workers remains exceptionally low at 0.13 percent with high use of a condom (Kirby

HEALTH 3
Institute. 2018). Drug injection leads to the transmission of HIV. For instance, sex workers
using drugs are stigmatized in workplace areas hence forced onto streets where exposure to
violence is heightened and the control over drug use is compromised. Furthermore, migration is
linked to sex work since some migrants might become sex workers if they cannot find a way of
generating money hence exposing them to HIV transmission.
In Thailand context, there has been an increasing trend in the new infection numbers
amidst sex workers wherein 2014 it was approximated to be 147,000 sex workers infected (Avert
Organization. 2018). Of all new infections in 2016, around 10 percent occurred among sex
workers and their clients. Nevertheless, urban areas have exhibited to yield exceptionally high
prevalence like as high as 20 percent among female sex workers. Poverty is a major risk factor
that increases HIV transmission among sex workers (Nemoto et al., 2016). It predisposes most
females to leave rural areas and go to urban areas to look for money. Moreover, sex trafficking
increases the infection peril amid female sex workers.
The impact of the economic condition on the group in the two countries
Both in Thailand and Australia, sex workers have elevated their peril of HIV/AIDS as
opposed to the whole population as a result of economic exposure. These sex workers lack the
capability of negotiating consistency in the utilization of condoms, and end up being exposed to
marginalization, violence by law enforcement officers and client along with criminalization in
several communities more so in developed nations like Thailand (Decker et al., 2015).
Nevertheless, sex workers in Australia encounter the worst of community stigmatization as well
as criminalization but the environment is more favorable than for those in Thailand because of
the presence of decriminalization programmes that protect sex workers (Armstrong 2016).