Does Creating Awareness on HIV/AIDS Help in Reducing New Infection Among the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders?

Running Head: PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH 1
Public health research
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Institution Affiliation

PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH 2
DOES CREATING AWARENESS ON HIV/AIDS HELP IN REDUCING NEW INFECTION
AMONG THE ABORIGINALS AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDERS?
1.0. Introduction
1.1. Background information
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus, and it is a disease that affects the human
immune system, which is the human defense system that fights against infections like bacteria
and virus. If HIV attacks the body immune system, it becomes deficient failing to fight against
diseases(Park, 2009). The virus is a microscopic type of germs which are hard to see even by use
of a microscope. AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency Syndrome. When a person is
infected with AIDS other opportunistic diseases takes advantage because of weakening of
immune system(World Health Organization, 2015). According to WHO in 2015 there was close
to 1.1 million people who died of AIDs across the Globe. In recent times WHO recommends that
every country live to their commitment to ending AIDs, which is a public health threat by
2030(Brookmeyer, 2010). A reduction of 600,000 people by 2020 is the target which is the most
recommended and which will leave at least 500,000 people dead from the most recent 1.1
million(Brookmeyer, 2010). Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders have the highest HIV
prevalence among all Australians with recent 2017 notification at 6.8% compared to 3.1% of
non-indigenous people per 100,000(Zablotska,Kippax, Grulich, Holt&Prestage, 2011). Australia
is one of the most committed Countries of the world in fighting HIV transmission by 2020
through its seven national HIV strategy(Brookmeyer, 2010).
1.2. Conceptual framework(if using a qualitative study)

PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH 3
This study aims to investigate whether creating awareness on HIV/AIDS can help in
reducing the spread of the epidemic(World Health Organization. 2015). The theory will adopt
conspiracy theory of HIV/AIDS that states that some people believe that some influential powers
are responsible for unexplained lousy lack(Bogart, Wagner, Galvan, & Banks, 2010). This theory
will help to understand whether the existing beliefs can be used against the spread of the disease
by making people understand that it is just a mere believe that HIV originated from some
powerful influencers(Gupta et al., 2012).
1.3. Study goals and objectives
a) To determine whether creation of awareness can reduce the number of
Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders getting infected with HIV/AIDs yearly
b) To recognize the extent of information reach to aboriginals and Torres Strait
Islanders through the internet and other media outlets in Australia on HIV/AIDS.
c) To identify whether there are challenges associated with creating awareness on
HIV/AIDS infection among teenagers
1.4. Literature review
The main route for HIV/AIDS spread in Australia is through men sexual intercourse. The
route accounts for 70% 2016 notifications, heterosexual sexual intercourse further notified 21%,
injecting drugs and sexual intercourse between men accounted for 5%, where injecting alone
accounted for 1% and 3% accounted for other unspecified causes(Bogart, Wagner, Galvan &
Banks,2010). However, Australian total HIV diagnosis notifications account for the past four
years remained stable as follows starting from the latest 2016: the notifications were 1,013 in
2016, 1,027 in 2015, 1,084 in 2014, 1,030 in 2013, and 1,066 in 2012(Gray et al., 2013). There is

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no research that shows a decrease in the overall spread in the past 10 years(World Health
Organization, 2010). Shockingly, the latest diagnosis in 2016 demonstrated that the new tested
were late, meaning had lived with the disease for four years without getting tested(Roberts,
Holden, Duck, & Kitchener, 2015).
The number of overseas-born diagnoses was highest in Central America with 45%,
Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa tying at 43%. A decline in proportion has also been
experienced in the past decade with men-to-men sex (21%) or men-to-men sex and injection
drug use at 25%(Sullivan et al., 2009). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders compared to non-
Australians were more than half in 2016 HIV notifications of 6.4 versus 2.9 in every 100 000
people in a case that was based on 46 people. The 2012-2016 Aboriginals and Torres Strait
Islanders’greater proportion of HIV were attributed to injecting drug use (14%) or heterosexual
sex (20%) compared to non-indigenous and Australian-born (3% and 1%) respectively(Sullivan
et al., 2009). In the same period, mother-to-child transmission rate among Australia was 2%
compared to 28% in period ofbetween 1992 and 1996(Say et al., 2014).
In the past one decade, there has been significant effort by African government to fight
HIV/AIDS epidemic through creating of awareness(Brookmeyer, 2010). These efforts has seen
the government collaborate with private voluntary organizations, international development
agencies, National AIDS control programs and other NGOs groups across Africa to devote
energy, resources, and time to develop low-cost to reduce or if possible eradicate the spread HIV
and AIDS (Negin et al., 2012).
Different programs have distributed AIDS badges, leaflets, stickers, and other kits to
create awareness of HIV/AIDs. These paraphernalia contains messages that inform the people of