The Literature Review on HIV/AIDs Epidemic

The Literature Review on HIV/AIDs Epidemic

Introduction

Anciently, the history of the HIV epidemic was usually faced with many narratives, making people due to its untreatable efforts and substantial deaths it caused. Over the last three decades, we have come along with having adequate knowledge of HIV/AIDs epidemic on the evolvement, and most importantly, how to treat and prevent it (Brookmeyer, 2010). Government and civil society have progressively dedicated to the retort with adequate money being invested towards understanding the disease and constricting different treatments. Since the first case of AIDS was recorded in 1981, the infection of HIV has tremendously grown to epidemic quantities, resulting from an estimated 37.9 million people with infections, and at the end of 2018. The disease continues to be a global health public concern, having claimed more than 32 million lives at the end of 2018 since the reporting of the first case (Katz, Ehrenkranz & El-Sadr, 2019, p. 8). Irrespective of concerted international efforts to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic by giving antiretroviral therapy, the disease continues to compromise the public health sector. The gaps realized in HIV/AIDS services in 2018, 0.77 million people died from HIV-related causes, an estimate of 1.7 million people were newly prevalent cases (Katz, Ehrenkranz & El-Sadr, 2019, p. 11). Such figures give a comprehensive report to signify that HIV/AIDS is still an epidemic issue, and something substantial has to be done. The paper will primarily focus on the HIV/AIDS literature reviews concerning social, environmental, and economic perspectives as well as made a literature critique on the epidemic..

Social, Environmental, and Economic Perspectives Regarding HIV/AIDS Epidemic.

In contemporary HIV-related theories and policies have emphasized the importance of addressing the social perspectives that increases susceptibility for a long-term response. Social context is a significant area to focus on concerning the entire narrative about HIV/AIDS (Rushing, 2018). The behavior portrayed in certain groups make them more vulnerable to being affected by the virus than the others. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, through the data extracted from multiple studies illustrating that anyone can contract HIV. Ultimately, some individuals are at the high vulnerability of being affected than others. The evidence showed that HIV disproportionately affects people in specific population set-up, especially the ones in LGBT (Rushing, 2018). In 2010, the NIH reported that gay or bisexual MSM are the most severely affected population. The MSM, for example, in 2008 within the ethnic minority population in the United States, contributed to one-half of the people living with HIV. The people who inject drugs, 14% of all are living with HIV; the sex workers have 12 times the likelihood of being infected with HIV than the general population. Also, the prisoners, transgender people who are highly linked with stigma and discrimination, and women and girls are al at high susceptibility of contracting HIV/AIDS. In the United States, according to HIV surveillance data, it portrays that the rate of new HIV prevalence is disproportionately highest within the ethnic minority population. African-American population accounted for a high percentage of HIV infections, where also most of the MSM cases were among them. HIV stigma and discrimination is another social perspective that is strengthening the HIV/AIDS epidemic (Sweeney & Vanable 2016, p. 76). In the contemporary social set-up, there is a cylindrical affiliation between stigma and HIV. As per the People Living with HIV Stigma Index, show that that 50 countries with available data, approximately one out of eight individual with HIV is being denied health services due to stigma and discrimination. The individuals/groups such as the ones in LGBT, who experience stigma and discrimination are marginalized and are pushed more to settings of having HIV, and the ones living it are more susceptible to experiencing the same (Johnston et al. 2013, p. 16). In a global study 2013, the LGBT people are always faced with homophobia that happens at an individual, cultural, or at a structural level constructing a barrier in accessing and delivering HIV services. A substantial study published from MSMGF (the Global Forum on men who have sex with men and HIV) in 2016, showed that homophobia does not damage public health, but there is also part of negative economic impact.

The literature construction regarding environmental perspectives and HIV/AIDS are not well documented. Ultimately, few issues are circulating in the ecological context and their causes. In most geographical areas of the universe most affected by HIV/AIDS, the epidemic is happening mainly in the perspective of massive environmental and societal vicissitudes (Talman, Bolton & Walson 2013, p. 232). The world climate change, human industry, and shifting patterns of migration due to poverty, inequality, and conflicts are massively changing the social and natural environment of those areas most pretentious and may play a significant role in motivating and sustaining the epidemic (Baral et al. 2013, p. 23). The impact on the environment, and HIV/AIDS, conversely, the ones concerning climate and environmental changes on the spread of HIV have not been sufficiently reconnoitered. However, multiple studies and reviews have majored to address various aspects of the link between the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the environment that focuses on natural resource use, work power deliberations, the impact of climate change, and food and maintenances acquaintances. Also, other studies have concentrated on bidirectional and self-reinforcing connections between the environment and HIV/AIDS (Alfsen, 2014). For example, studies exploring the interaction between HIV/AIDS and the environment, including that of the concept of syndetic structure.

Regarding economic perspectives, several issues have emerged concerning the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Multiple studies show that the HIV epidemic is responsible for ranging down the growth rate (Baral et al. 2013, p. 23). However, it becomes difficult to empirically determine the impact that HIV/AIDS causes on economic growth. The economic studies have concentrated on issues surrounding the effect that the epidemic has contributed to the economy. The question concerning reversing growth due to low labor supply, reduction in savings, and investment have significantly deteriorated the economy of the country (Shao & Williamson 2012, p. 45). The HIV/AIDS epidemic, according to the report, shows that it has deepened the poverty rates, especially in developing counties making population affected or at high vulnerability from accessing fundamental daily requirements. The issue concerning economic sabotage has compromised addressing the questions circulating in HIV/AIDs health Issue epidemic. Poverty setting such us unemployment have significantly hindered affected individuals from accessing health services, especially where the victims are low income or in the middle-income social-class.

Literature Review Critique

Several epidemiological data at the national and international have been explored to give possible interventions to solve the issues surrounding HIV/Epidemic. Some have weak evidence that makes to require reviews for improvement purposes. According to UNAIDS has offered stable responses that are meant to combat the issues concerning HIV/AIDS epidemic (Katz, Ehrenkranz & El-Sadr, 2019, p. 8). The UNAIDS has focused on combination prevention that was found to be a practical approach to help people living with the virus or vulnerable to contract the disease. The efficient method of effective HIV prevention focuses on biomedical, behavioral, and structural interventions. The Combination prevention backs for a holistic approach where HIV prevention is not only a single intervention but is a simultaneous use of complementary behavior, biomedical, and structural prevention stratagems. The Combination Prevention given by the UNAIDS was from a thorough analysis of the public health studies conducted regarding the epidemic (Brookmeyer, 2010). The results extracted were done by the experts in the related fields that followed the required channel of conducting scientific research and reviewed for public publication. The Combination Prevention approach advocate for both strategies for the mode of transmission and non-mode of transmission strategies. The standard policy advocated by the approach includes education to sensitize the general public.

From the national perspective, evidence-based approaches have been crafted that are important toward reducing the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In the United States, compendium, and replicating effective programs plus have been developed to help address the issues concerning the HIV epidemic (Rushing, 2018). These approaches were found to be sufficient to be applied in all States, however, the studies that were used they failed to give comprehensive mechanism that would enhance the evaluation and monitoring of combination to improve the article.

Although over the past decades of research and programing more approaches have been given in combating the epidemic, little evidence is available on effective strategies to mitigate HIV among the Vulnerable groups especially the ones in unique settings such as the ones in LGBT community (Johnston et al. 2013, p. 123). The evidence was given by most of the studies of interventions to address the topic; they lack substantial data for making robust analysis for a suitable conclusion. Therefore, although most studies have been conducted to give way forward through following all the criteria used in conducting scientific research like considering ethics grounded, it is also essential to conducts the research that has clinical significance to address the issues surrounding the epidemic conclusively.

Conclusion

In summation, HIV/AIDS continues to be a global epidemic because it portrays substantial public health threats due to the death it causes since the reporting of the first case. Social context has proved to be more associated with the epidemic as compared to environmental and economic perspectives. As such, it is due to certain groups they engage in specific behavior and the inequalities that are found in the social set-up compromising effective access and delivery of the health service.

Concerning the literature review critiques, it is evident that most of the research conducted they are comprehensive and meaningful towards addressing the HIV epidemic. Ultimately, some are done at specific areas where the data used is not broad. This means that bias and wrong conclusion may be portrayed misleading the interventions and prevention strategies towards reducing the ongoing public health issue in a global context. Therefore, it is essential to understand that HIV/AIDS continues to cause death, and everybody is at high risk, and change of behavior can be of significant facet towards the epidemic.

Bibliography

Johnston, L.G., Chen, Y.H., Silva-Santisteban, A., and Raymond, H.F., 2013. An empirical examination of respondent-driven sampling design effects among HIV risk groups from studies conducted around the world. AIDS and Behavior, 17(6), pp.2202-2210.

Brookmeyer, R., 2010. Measuring the HIV/AIDS epidemic: approaches and challenges. Epidemiologic Reviews, 32(1), pp.26-37.

Baral, S., Logie, C.H., Grosso, A., Wirtz, A.L., and Beyrer, C., 2013. Modified the social-ecological model: a tool to guide the assessment of the risks and risk contexts of HIV epidemics. BMC public health, 13(1), p.482.

Talman, A., Bolton, S., and Walson, J.L., 2013. Interactions between HIV/AIDS and the environment: Toward a syndemic framework. American journal of public health, 103(2), pp.253-261.

Shao, Y. and Williamson, C., 2012. The HIV-1 epidemic: low-to middle-income countries. Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in medicine, 2(3), p.a007187.

Sweeney, S.M., and Vanable, P.A., 2016. The association of HIV-related stigma to HIV medication adherence: a systematic review and synthesis of the literature. AIDS and Behavior, 20(1), pp.29-50.

Rushing, W.A., 2018. The AIDS epidemic: Social dimensions of an infectious disease. Routledge.

Alfsen, A., 2014. Environmental factors in HIV/AIDS epidemic development: New perspectives for gender equity and global protection against HIV transmission. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1023(1), pp.164-174.

Katz, I.T., Ehrenkranz, P., and El-Sadr, W., 2019. The global HIV epidemic: What will it take to get to the finish line? Jama, 319(11), pp.1094-1095.