Abstract
HIV/AIDS is one of the most pressing problems in modern sexual health. Around 34 million individuals were estimated to have HIV by the end of 2009, and 1.8 million fatalities were attributed to AIDS. Over twenty-five million people have lost their lives to HIV/AIDS by 2005, making it the worst epidemic in history. The region of Sub-Saharan Africa was hit the hardest. The effects of HIV/AIDS and other sexual health issues on individuals and society are examined in this research. The infected person’s household and neighborhood are severely affected by HIV/AIDS. The effect will vary according to the person, their family, the community in which they reside, the stage of illness at the time of diagnosis, and how the virus is spread from one group to another.
Keywords; HIV and AIDs, infection, community, and impact.
Introduction
HIV is a retroviral disease that causes AID which is a disease that weakens the immune system, making the body susceptible to lethal opportunistic infections and cancers. Blood, breast milk, and sexual fluids such as pre-ejaculate, sperm, and vaginal secretions may transmit HIV. Sharing needles or razors, breastfeeding, and mother-to-child transmission at birth are important vectors. Screening has almost eradicated HIV transmission via blood transfusions. Most HIV patients die from opportunistic infections or malignancies as their immune systems decline. The majority of people who are HIV-positive will acquire AIDS within ten years. However, this timeline may vary greatly depending on host, viral, and environmental variables. Treatment for HIV/AIDS necessitates anti-retroviral medication for one’s whole life and treatment for opportunistic infections.
HIV infection usually has terrible impacts on sick individuals, their loved ones, their society, and the economy. Public stigmatization reduces HIV prevention, management, social aid, and HIV disclosure. The HIV epidemic disproportionately affects drug users, asylum seekers, and emigrants. HAART has changed many aspects of society, including parenthood, HIV disclosure, and the long-term health effects of HAART (Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy). HIV-positive people encounter prejudice in several sectors, including employment, healthcare, and life insurance. HIV-positive orphaned children are especially at risk. As more parents die from AIDS-related reasons and HAART increases the likelihood that HIV-positive newborns will survive into adulthood, the worldwide number of orphans is rising. These factors affect the area economically and socially.
Problem Statement and Research Questions
The HIV/AIDS epidemic has been in the news for over two decades due to its widespread devastation of people, groups, and whole civilizations. This illness has claimed the lives of millions of people and continues to affect millions more. HIV/AIDS is still having a daily impact on people at all levels of society is another proof of the disease’s pervasiveness. This disease is contagious and has widespread social and economic consequences for every place it affects. This research seeks to answer the following questions; does HIV affect the community in any way? What specific areas are affected and how? What are the remedies for the impacts?
Economic impacts
HIV/AIDS has destroyed economies in numerous countries. Several nations have fallen into abysmal poverty because of the pandemic. HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects developing countries’ demographics and economies since it predominantly affects working-age individuals. It has also stifled economic and healthcare development for decades. HIV/AIDS treatment costs the government a lot. HIV/AIDS patients occupy 25% of hospital beds in several Caribbean countries. The virus has devastated southern Africa. The World Bank estimated that the deadly virus decreased South Africa’s GDP by 20% in 2010(Guo et al., 2012). Many governments’ finances are dominated by HIV/AIDS treatment and care. According to a University of the West Indies research, Trinidad and Tobago’s GDP would decline by over 5% and Jamaica’s by 6.4%. Economic consequences include poverty, reduced investment and savings, and joblessness in vital agriculture and manufacturing industries.
HIV has a significant financial burden on the sufferer and their loved ones. In many households, the primary breadwinner is forced to leave the workforce because of HIV/AIDS, leading to a decline in household income and increased outlays for treatment and care(Richter, n.d.). Financial resources are depleted when families living with HIV are forced to deal with unexpected increases in expenses and losses in income. As a result of increased AIDS-related costs and decreased labor productivity, businesses may see a decline in their earnings, savings, and investments. By the International Labor Organization’s count, about 37 million people actively participating in economic activities globally are living with HIV. When these parents pass away, their children become orphans, and if they were the only breadwinners in the family, they become impoverished.
Impact on Parents and Children
HIV-positive people have greater baby-planning alternatives because of HAARTs. Before HAART, HIV-positive women knew they would die. It has greatly reduced the incidence of AIDS-related deaths among women. HIV-positive Women of childbearing age who wish to prevent HIV transmission to their children have no choice except to have children. Attempts to reduce the spread of disease from mother to child have changed parenting practices in several countries. Parenthood has several psychological and social effects on HIV-positive people, especially due to stigma. (Yanir et al., 2018)lists several factors that may influence a person living with AIDS’s decision to become a parent, including their desire to become a parent, their religious beliefs, the number of children they already have, their spouse’s status and health care providers, and their spouse’s apparent ability to parent.
HIV/AIDS affects parenting greatly. Seventy-two percent of HIV-positive parents stated they were done having children, 16% were hesitant, and 14% wanted more. Treatment improvements have offered HIV-positive babies and breastfed children a chance to live into their teens. Teens’ viral load is increasing. Opportunistic infections kill most HIV-positive children. The virus’s psychological and neurological harm leaves many youngsters with significant cognitive impairment, behavioral difficulties, and a poor quality of life(Monteiro et al., 2009). HIV-positive youngsters may struggle with treatment and disclosure. HIV’s other main consequences on motherhood include the economic expense, anxiety, stigma of raising a child by a parent with a potentially lethal disease, and ethical concerns about the possibility of passing the infection to the child.
HIV/AIDS has contributed to the global surge of children without parents. Twelve million African children lost both parents to AIDS. When parents leave their children, relatives, foster parents, and occasionally older teens become parents. Extensive care strains the economy. Children might develop social difficulties without parental love, care, and safety. Kids leave class too soon. After their parents die, many of these youngsters drop out of school because they have to become parents too soon or are terrified of being harassed. Losing both parents is devastating. HIV/AIDS destroys communities. It may increase crime, poverty, drug usage, illiteracy, productivity, and social breakdown.
Impacts on CareGivers
AIDS patients’ care falls on health care personnel and family members. Before anti-retroviral medicine, infected individuals’ health swiftly deteriorated, making them bedridden and needing continuous care. HAART allows patients to live healthy lives without continual care. Any excellent, caring network relies on family, friends, and medical professionals. Because of stigma, caregivers are disproportionately impacted by HIV. HIV-positive parents might be held responsible for their children’s “immoral” activities that caused the illness. Isolating caregivers may help them escape judgment(Ssengonzi, 2009). Family caregivers may commute long distances to conceal their loved one’s HIV status. For fear of shame, several unpaid carers will not utilize home health, infusion, or hospice. Nurses caring for informal caregivers worried about status disclosure must understand the family caregiver’s fear of discrimination and stigma. A nurse acquainted with “HIV friendly” referral groups with a history of confidential services may assist meet the need for professional home-centered services and reassure an informal caregiver about HIV stigma.
HIV-positive children’s caregivers are ostracized. HIV-positive children’s primary carers dealt with AIDS stigma, concern, and grief. Had a high care burden and resource constraints. Stigma has been linked to financial concerns, childcare issues, and diminished help-seeking. These findings emphasize the need for measures to assist caregivers in finding child care and financial resources to combat stigma(Silverman, 1993). Healthcare personnel may feel stigmatized while treating HIV-positive patients. Professional and informal carers might be discriminated against because of their HIV/AIDS ties. This discrimination may hinder their work or reduce their enthusiasm for treating HIV/AIDS patients.
Conclusions
Every year, thousands of individuals in Australia and throughout the world get HIV and acquire AIDS. Catching and surviving this virus is tricky and context-dependent. This impact may determine the management program’s effectiveness, patient compliance, and infection prevention. The biggest challenges are eliminating the financial, physical, and emotional impacts of HIV infection, promoting testing, reporting HIV status, and providing fast and effective treatment and care to everyone living with HIV/AIDS. Policies should consider persons, families, and the community to address HIV’s effects on diverse sectors.
References
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