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    Lorms Health and Diseases

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    sarahsze6
    This document considers the statement that the main challenge in controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS is one of cost to be true to a small extent. While the high cost of antiretroviral therapy is an important economic challenge, there are greater socio-economic challenges including difficulty detecting HIV status, social stigma surrounding the virus, and certain lifestyle choices and cultural practices that exacerbate the spread and are harder to overcome. These socio-economic factors, like ingrained mindsets and long-held beliefs, present greater challenges than the single economic factor of treatment costs.

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    Lorms Health and Diseases

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    sarahsze6
    16 views3 pages
    This document considers the statement that the main challenge in controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS is one of cost to be true to a small extent. While the high cost of antiretroviral therapy is an important economic challenge, there are greater socio-economic challenges including difficulty detecting HIV status, social stigma surrounding the virus, and certain lifestyle choices and cultural practices that exacerbate the spread and are harder to overcome. These socio-economic factors, like ingrained mindsets and long-held beliefs, present greater challenges than the single economic factor of treatment costs.

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    This document considers the statement that the main challenge in controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS is one of cost to be true to a small extent. While the high cost of antiretroviral therapy is an important economic challenge, there are greater socio-economic challenges including difficulty detecting HIV status, social stigma surrounding the virus, and certain lifestyle choices and cultural practices that exacerbate the spread and are harder to overcome. These socio-economic factors, like ingrained mindsets and long-held beliefs, present greater challenges than the single economic factor of treatment costs.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    16 views3 pages

    Lorms Health and Diseases

    Uploaded by

    sarahsze6
    This document considers the statement that the main challenge in controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS is one of cost to be true to a small extent. While the high cost of antiretroviral therapy is an important economic challenge, there are greater socio-economic challenges including difficulty detecting HIV status, social stigma surrounding the virus, and certain lifestyle choices and cultural practices that exacerbate the spread and are harder to overcome. These socio-economic factors, like ingrained mindsets and long-held beliefs, present greater challenges than the single economic factor of treatment costs.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    LORMS 2016: ‘The main challenge in controlling the spread of HIV/ AIDS is one of

    cost.’ Do you consider this statement to be true? Explain.

    I consider this statement to be true to a small extent. HIV refers to Human Immunodeficiency

    Virus, while AIDS refers to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, and is the final stage of

    HIV, usually developed after 9-10 years. The virus attacks the white blood cells of the body,

    weakening one’s immune system. As it has no cure, its spread can only be controlled.

    However, there are many challenges in controlling the spread of HIV, which are mostly

    socio-economic challenges.

    One such challenge includes difficulty in detection of the virus. This is a major factor to the

    spread of the virus, as since there are no visible symptoms of the disease, infected people

    who are unaware of their HIV status continue with their normal routines, potentially

    infecting others. In a survey conducted among African communities, it was discovered not

    knowing one’s HIV status was a major cause of the spread of the virus, with 65% of female

    participants carrying the virus being unaware of their HIV status.

    Another challenge is the social stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. Having HIV is met with

    disapproval in many communities and countries, with patients often being subjected to

    discrimination such as being refused healthcare by medical professionals, being refused

    housing, or lower employment opportunities as some people do not wish to work with

    infected individuals. In a survey conducted in 2008, 27% of Americans expressed that they

    prefer not to work closely with a HIV-infected individual. As a result of this, some

    HIV-positive people stay silent about their condition, causing them to potentially infect their

    partners. They may also stay away from being tested for HIV despite having suspicions of
    having the virus, in order to avoid being subjected to the rampant discrimination that comes

    with having the disease and carry on with their normal lives.

    Yet another social challenge hinders controlling the spread of the disease is the many lifestyle

    choices of people. This includes being sexually active at a young age, having multiple sexual

    partners, or some cultural beliefs and practices. In some Kenyan and Zambian tribes,

    polygamy, the practice of having multiple wives, is still practiced. Testing for HIV before

    marriage is not customary in these tribes, which may exacerbate the spread of the virus.

    Additionally, in other countries, sexuality awareness education in not taught in school,

    causing children to be unaware of how to protect themselves against the disease. In Nigeria,

    girls are not taught sexuality awareness in school as people refrain from speaking about

    sexuality and sexual practices before marriage, which leaves them more susceptible to the

    disease due to being unaware of how to avoid transmission of HIV.

    In contrast to the multiple social challenges listed, there is only one main economic challenge

    in managing the disease’s spread, which is the high cost of antiretroviral therapy.

    Antiretroviral therapy refers to a treatment that controls the disease, reduces the risk of

    transmission, and improves the patient’s quality of life. However, treatment is very costly. In

    Singapore, the monthly cost for the treatment ranges from USD$160- USD$1200, which may

    be unaffordable to many people, causing them to go untreated and increase the risk of

    transmission to others.

    In conclusion, while economic challenges in controlling the spread of HIV is a major

    problem, the majority of challenges are social or simply due to difficulty in detection of the

    disease, which are harder to overcome as they are typically deeply-rooted mindsets or beliefs,
    or practices carried out for many years. Thus, it is harder to convince so many people across

    the world to change their habits or beliefs that have been ingrained into them for decades than

    it is to overcome the economic roadblock in controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS.

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