Communicable diseases

Communicable diseases

HIV

Communicable diseases are a disease that is transmitted from one person to another by direct contact with an infected person. This disease can also be transmitted by the fluids of an infected person like blood. They can also be transmitted through indirect means by a vector. They are caused by microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses, among others. The most major communicable disease is the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This disease has affected many countries, and it has become a threat to various individuals. Different treatment techniques have been laid forward to help in minimizing the outbreak of this disease. Human immunodeficiency virus usually aims the cells in the immune system, which protects the body from various illnesses. The virus reduces the ability of the body to fight against various infections, including some types of cancer which may attack the body.

A comprehensive description of HIV

This disease is caused by body fluids, which include blood, semen, and breast milk. Treatment of this disease can prevent transmission of this disease from the mother to her child. The mother should not breastfeed the child, and this helps in preventing the child from getting the disease. The virus destroys the leucocytes, which defends the body from foreign invaders and from infectious diseases.

The virus manifests itself inside the cells and diminishes the functions of the immune cells rendering the infected person immunodeficient. Therefore, the body is rendered feeble and not able to fight infectious diseases and cancers (Bandura, 1994). The immune functions are specifically measured by the number of CD4 cells available in the body. The symptoms of the virus depend on which stage of infection a person might be. During the first few months, people living with HIV tend to be mot infectious since they are not aware of their status at this stage. During the early stages of infection, a person may not experience serious symptoms. They usually get influenza-like illnesses, which include fever, sore throat, rash, and headache. As the infection increasingly weakens the immune system, the infected person develops other signs and symptoms, which include weight loss, diarrhea, cough, and swelling of lymph nodes. If the person is not treated, other illnesses such as tuberculosis, bacterial infections, and cancers may arise. Among the diseases arising, tuberculosis is the most dangerous, and it is the one that causes death among the people living with HIV.

HIV can be transmitted through sexual means; this comes as a consequence when having sex with an HIV infected person. It can also be transmitted through blood transfusion. Sharing sharp objects with an infected person can lead to the transmission of this disease. The HIV virus is associated with some complications which come as a consequence of persistent infection and indirect result such as growing old and antiretroviral therapy among other different factors (Ellis, Langford & Masliah, 2007). The complications include the primary central nervous lymphoma, cardiovascular disorders, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders, including lung cancers. HIV can also lead to dental and salivary gland disorders. The most dangerous complication caused by this virus occurs when the number of CD4 cells falls to below 200 cells per cubic millimeter. The complications of HIV don’t occur if the number of CD4 cells in the body is above 500 cells per cubic millimeter. HIV does not have any cure, but taking medicines consistently can slow down the growth of the virus in the body of an infected person. HIV is caused by the type of virus known as a retrovirus; therefore the combination of drugs used in treating this virus is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). This drug can keep an infected person healthy for many years without any complications. It can also decrease the amount of virus present in the blood and fluids of the body of an infected person. This kind of drug is highly recommended for people living with HIV despite the number of days they have had the virus. It doesn’t matter how healthy an infected person looks like, but he or she has to use this drug. ART reduces the chances of transmitting this disease to uninfected people if taken as directed by the doctor.

Recent statistics that were carried out in the United States of America have shown that the number of adults who are living with HIV has really increased. It has also shown that the number of young people who are infected has decreased. The introduction of ART has reduced the number of people dying from this disease. The number of deaths in recent years has decreased as compared to the deaths that occurred in the early years. Many people in the United States of America were diagnosed, and the results indicated that the number of people who were infected with HIV decreased by 11% from the year 2010 to 2017. HIV can be grouped as a reportable disease. States in the USA require the people who provide care for people to report arising cases of HIV to their various departments within the state (Francis & Chin, 1987). The states also need reporting of people who are infected with the HIV virus. These cases are reported to the legislatures and governors. Others need the reporting to be done under the patient’s name, but since the test is usually done anonymously in some states, the patient’s name is sometimes not received.

Effects of social determinants on HIV

The social determinants of health are referred to as settings in the surrounding in which people are born, raised, educated, play, and work, which affects a wide range of functioning, health, and the outcomes of one’s lifestyle. These settings include economic settings, social and physical settings. The surrounding of individuals includes schools, churches, and the workplace, among others. The resources of social determinants that improve the quality of life of an individual can have an important influence on population health outcomes. These resources include affordable housing, availability of healthy foods, access to medical facilities, availability of security, and access to education. These social determinants have contributed to the reduction of HIV transmission among people. For instance, the affordable housing available to people with HIV was fully associated with the adjustments in risk behaviors (Poundstone, Strathdee & Celentano, 2004). The adjustments made in the housing status significantly decreased risks of drug use, sharp objects sharing, and unprotected sex. Availability and access to medical facilities have also reduced this virus from being spread since people are given ART, which reduces the growth of the virus in the body, thus reducing the rate of transmission.

Relationship between the epidemiological triangle and HIV

When carrying out investigations on how this disease is spread and how to fight it. The researchers found an epidemiologic triangle as a good tool for evaluating this disease. This triangle consists of three major parts. The parts include agent conditions, host conditions, and environmental conditions. The agent is the microorganism that causes the disease. HIV affects the immune system of an individual, leaving it exposed to other forms of infections. This makes the body unable to fight infections on its own. HIV is being transmitted by direct contact with the body fluids of a person living with HIV. The agent then infects the host, which is the creature that carries this virus (Schoub, 1999). The host does not fall sick, and they don’t show any signs and symptoms usually owned by the disease. They do act as carriers because their physiology seems attractive to the agent. According to the research done by scientists, HIV was originally owned by chimpanzees, and it was transmitted to humans who went hunting chimpanzees for meat, and when their bodies got into contact with the chimpanzee’s blood, they got the disease. Another factor is environmental factors. These factors may include anything that facilitates the spread of this disease, but it is neither part of the host nor part of the agent. For instance, the temperature in a particular area might affect the ability of the agent to expand.

Roles of the community health nurse and demographic data

Community health nurses usually take it as their responsibility to care for the people living with HIV. They educate them on how to treat and prevent this disease, thus reducing morbidity and mortality. The community health nurses carry out various responsibilities in HIV programs. These functions include advising and referring the community member to get tested for HIV, escorting the people to clinic appointments, providing the care these people may deserve, and giving them referrals to other services (Lefkowitz, 2007). Community health nurses have been taught in various ways of advancing the uptake of HIV treatment and services. The community health nurses’ program efficiency relies entirely on an enabling work surrounding for them. This includes respect from the community members, supportive supervision, and workload. The demographic data collected from patients is necessary to the health of the community since it helps the healthcare providers in communicating effectively with the patient since this improves the health of that particular patient. It can also help the care providers to know the patient’s culture, which may also affect their health. Since the ethnicity and race of a certain patient can affect the patient’s health, it is, therefore, necessary to have demographic data.

 

 

The national organization and reduction of HIV

The HIV virus is one of the most threatening outbreaks in the United States of America. It has threatened the health of various individuals in the United States of America. It has led to the deaths of many people leaving others infected. The World Organization Health has identified the disease and has come up with various techniques of helping countries to get rid and reduce the effect of this disease. The techniques include helping the countries ensure that HIV lifesaving services are easily accessible and affordable to every individual who may need them. They have also put in place various treatment and prevention techniques to help those who are already infected reduce the growth of the virus in their cells within the body so as to reduce the rate of transmission to other uninfected people. This organization has also implemented various centers to educate people on how to prevent themselves against the disease and ways of abstaining.

The global implication of HIV

Research has shown that among the people living with the HIV virus, 95% of these people live in developing countries. The disease in each part of the world is triggered by the various risks that can be associated with the spread of HIV and the responses that have come up to address the disease (Barnett & Whiteside, 2002). This kind of disease is taken to be the most dangerous disease in other countries, which completely alters the functioning of the cells in the body of an individual. Different countries are still looking for any cure, which may bring this disease to an end through research. The southern state of the United States of America recorded the highest number of people infected with HIV. The number has lately decreased due to the introduction of ART, which enables the reduction of the disease within the body of an individual.

Conclusion

The HIV virus has become a threat in many countries across the world. Different health organization is yet to come up with various drugs which may be used to reduce the growth of this virus in the cells of human beings so that they may be able to perform their various functions with ease. These drugs will be able to reduce the signs and symptoms, which may be a great threat to their health. Various education centers need to be implemented so as to enable individuals to prevent themselves from various diseases. It is important for people to have their status checked regularly since this disease doesn’t show any symptoms during its early stages, so it can be easy to infect other people.

 

 

References

Bandura, A. (1994). Social cognitive theory and exercise of control over HIV infection. In Preventing AIDS (pp. 25-59). Springer, Boston, MA.

Barnett, T., & Whiteside, A. (2002). AIDS in the twenty-first century: Disease and globalization. Springer.

Ellis, R., Langford, D., & Masliah, E. (2007). HIV and antiretroviral therapy in the brain: neuronal injury and repair. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 8(1), 33-44.

Francis, D. P., & Chin, J. (1987). The prevention of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in the United States: An objective strategy for medicine, public health, business, and the community. JAMA, 257(10), 1357-1366.

Lefkowitz, B. (2007). Community health centers: A movement and the people who made it happen. Rutgers University Press.

Poundstone, K. E., Strathdee, S. A., & Celentano, D. D. (2004). The social epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Epidemiologic Reviews, 26(1), 22-35.

Schoub, B. D. (1999). AIDS and HIV in Perspective: A Guide to Understanding the Virus and its Consequences. Cambridge University Press.