HIV/AIDS: Global Health Problem, Healthcare Systems, and Comparison

This report examines HIV/AIDS as a significant global health challenge, first reported in 1981, and its profound social and cultural implications. It presents global statistics on HIV prevalence, new infections, and mortality rates, highlighting the impact on various populations, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. The report explores the role of universal healthcare systems, as advocated by WHO, and the integration of HIV services with other health initiatives. It analyzes the US healthcare system's approach, including the Affordable Care Act and the National HIV Strategy, emphasizing early diagnosis and treatment. A comparison between the US and South Africa reveals disparities in healthcare access, insurance coverage, and the prevalence of HIV, with South Africa having the highest prevalence globally. The report references multiple sources to support its findings, offering a comprehensive overview of the global HIV/AIDS crisis and its management.

HIV/AIDS
N A M E
I N S T I T U T I O N

CULTURAL AND GLOBAL
CONTEXT
• HIV/AIDS was first reported in 1981 and it is one of the leading health
challenges in the world ("The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic", 2019).
• It poses serious social and cultural challenges to a patient and the entire
society.
• Different societies and cultures have different interpretations of HIV.

CONT…
• According to The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic (2019),
• Since the outbreak of the HIV virus at least 75 million people have been
affected .
• There are currently approximately 37.0 million people leaving with the HIV
virus at the moment.
• 21% of these people are not aware that they have the infection.

CULTURAL AND GLOBAL
CONTEXT
• The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic (2019) further states that;
• The global prevalence of HIV/AIDS in 2018 among adults was 0.8%
• The number of new infections has been declining but it is still high being
reported as 1.7 million new infections in 2018.
• This represents approximately 5000 new infections per day.

CONT…
• It remains the leading cause of deaths globally.
• Approximately 770, 000 people succumbed to AIDS related conditions in
2018.
• This was a decrease of approximately 36% from 1.2 million patients in 2010
("The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic", 2019).
• The highest number of patients infected with HIV are found in Sub-Saharan
Africa.

UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE
SYSTEM
• One of the targets of WHO is to achieve universal health coverage ("WHO at
AIDS 2018", 2019)
• This will ensure that every individual has access to quality HIV services
when they need them.
• The civil society worldwide is also pushing for the establishment good
governance in HIV care.

CONT…
• HIV is additionally being integrated with other health services thus leading
to improved health outcomes ("WHO at AIDS 2018", 2019).
• A people-centered approach to care delivery has been developed.
• There are also policies put in place to reduce the out-of-pocket payments.

US HEALTHCARE SYSTEM ON
HIV
• There is the affordable care act that covers everyone including HIV patients
("The Affordable Care Act and HIV/AIDS", 2019).
• There is also the National HIV strategy released by the white house in 2015
(House, 2019).
• The US healthcare system encourages early diagnosis for early detection of
the virus.

COMPARISON BETWEEN USA
AND SOUTH AFRICA
• South Africa has the highest HIV prevalence in the world at around 20.4%
("HIV and AIDS in South Africa", 2019).
• The number of people leaving with HIV in SA in 2018 was 7.7 million ("HIV
and AIDS in South Africa", 2019).
• The healthcare system in South Africa has, however, made great steps in
ensuring that people know their status.

CONT…
• The difference between USA and South Africa is that South Africa lacks a
health insurance programme that covers HIV patients.
• The United States on the other hand expanded Medicare coverage in 2015.
• It ensures that anyone aged between 15-65 years can get access to HIV
services when they wish so ("HIV and AIDS in the USA", 2019).

REFERENCES
HIV and AIDS in the United States of America (USA). (2019). Retrieved 22 September 2019,
from https://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-around-world/western-central-europe-north-
america/usa
House, W. (2019). National HIV/AIDS strategy: updated to 2020.
The Affordable Care Act and HIV/AIDS. (2019). Retrieved 22 September 2019, from https://
www.hiv.gov/federal-response/policies-issues/the-affordable-care-act-and-hiv-aids
The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic. (2019). Retrieved 22 September 2019, from https://
www.kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-global-hivaids-epidemic/
WHO at AIDS 2018 – pulling together for universal health coverage. (2019). Retrieved 22
September 2019, from https://www.who.int/hiv/mediacentre/news/aids2018-round-up/en/