Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome: Thirty Years of a Disease

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Treatment of AIDS
Economic impact of AIDS treatment
Prevention of AIDS
Conclusion
References

Introduction

AIDS is an international epidemic that has interfered with the political, social and economic status of most states in the world. It is an epidemic that was discovered in the 1980s, and since then it has taken many lives, not to mention, both adults and children. Scientists have been involved in vigorous research, although they have not been successful in discovering its cure. However, they have managed to come up with some drugs that suppress the effects of the disease in the human body, although they do not cure. AIDS knows to boundaries and affects all groups of people. Many children have been orphaned at a very early age while some partners have lost their spouses to this deadly disease. These people go through a lot of economic hardships trying to adjust to their predicament while their social status continues to deteriorate. Governments have spent large sums of money in providing medication for the diseased and there is still much to be done. This paper takes a look at the thirty years old epidemic or dilemma facing the world, HIV-AIDs; with the introduction of anti-viral drugs, there is hope that infected people can live for longer, although, the costs associated with this are too high. The best control measure seems to be prevention of the spread of the virus.

Treatment of AIDS

With the introduction of the anti-viral drugs, the process of replication has been slowed down. These drugs are not able to kill the viruses but they introduce some molecules that interfere with the process of replication. This reduces the number of viruses produced within the body of an infected person although they cannot stop the replication process because new viruses are manufactured inside the crucial cells that are needed by the human body. Most of the viruses are manufactured in the T-cells that are important to the immune system. This is the reason why there are no drugs that can completely cure the disease because they would be killing the T-cells which can cause more harm than the one caused by the virus it self. There are instances where the anti-viral drugs are not able to suppress the replication process because some variants are produced that withstand the effects of the drug and are able to survive in the new environment and no matter how many times the patient takes the anti-viral drugs, they will not be able to repress the replication process. Scientists have conducted many researches and have come with a strategy to deal with this situation where a HIV patient is given many anti-viral drugs at once before his body develops resistance to them. These drugs affect different stages of the replication process to ensure that all odds are lowered (Blechner, 1997). The use of anti-viral drugs is improving the quality and length of life for people living with the virus although they are also increasing the proportion of people living with the disease thereby augmenting the prevalence figures for HIV.

Economic impact of AIDS treatment

A significant sum of money has been spent on HIV/AIDS treatment but still large groups of people cannot access the treatment. This has attracted the attention of the global environment in assisting poor countries to fight against this epidemic. More than 16 billion dollars is spent every year in poor and middle-income countries. South Africa is believed to have been the most affected by the epidemic and its economy continues to deteriorate. The main issue that cause major economic problem with AIDs is that it infects people when they are at their most productive stage in life; the economic effects caused by the epidemic vary depending on its severity and the national structure. Most nations suffer from a reduction in labor supply and increased costs which are incurred in the treatment process. The direct costs associated with AIDs include but are not limited to expenditures on drugs, funeral expenses, and medical care.

There are some indirect costs which include recruitment and training costs which are incurred when an employee dies; a lot of time is lost because of illness of employees and expenditure incurred in curing for orphans. The level of investment is also affected because some of the costs are financed out of saving. A study conducted by the World Bank revealed that the economic impacts of AIDS in Africa is rampant than in other countries (UNAIDS, 2008). These effects are first felt by the individual who has been infected by the virus and the families, and then ripple effects are felt by firms, businesses, and the macro-economy. In the family, economic impacts begin as soon as an individual has been diagnosed with the virus. The patient’s income reduces since he becomes less productive and it can even be worse if the patient is the breadwinner. The family expenditure may increase significantly to cater for the medical expenses and some members of the family may be forced to dropout of school because of lack of school fees. This means that the impacts of the disease will be felt far and wide because these children are not able to access education, then their future is destroyed. The death of a patient leaves the family in a bad situation because it permanently loses a source of income and as if that is not enough it has to cater for the funeral costs of the diseased (Lavreys, 2004)

Prevention of AIDS

The best remedy to stopping the spread of AIDS is in its prevention. As it is always said, prevention is better than cure. At the early stages of the epidemic, a lot of information was provided to large population on ways of preventing the disease. With this information, the number of unprotected sex decreased and the demand for reproductive health services such as, HIV testing and counseling started increasing. However, the prevention work has been declining and many children are not given sexual-health education notwithstanding the fact that many governments are sentient of the risks of HIV. Politicians have been left with the work of preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, although most of them avoid discussing any sex related issue (Epstein, 2007).

Recent information propose that risky sex behavior is increasing in many parts of the world because many people think that, the danger posed by the disease is over now because the media no longer covers issues related to HIV/AIDS. Many countries have already started massive prevention efforts although others still lag behind in terms of prevention because the political costs of prevention are assumed to be too high to initiate or maintain the prevention programs (Epstein, 2007). Some developed countries continue to suffer from the effects of the disease because they hold that HIV affects other people and not their communities. This view hinders policy makers and budget setters in designed strategies aimed at preventing the epidemic. Many scientists are concerned about the harm that is posed by the HIV prevention activities especially when a lot of efforts and money are dedicated to the provision of treatment. It is seen as an issue that is common in Africa and other low income countries. The best prevention measure is to increase sex education in schools and encourage the use of condoms (Epstein, 2007).

Conclusion

The economic impacts of AIDS are first experienced by the family, and then the community and the effects ripple to the whole nation. By striking the most productive persons in the society (the youth), the epidemic, destroys the entire society. By interfering with the economic growth, it becomes difficult to provide some social services. The effects of AIDS are vicious, by increasing the levels of poverty; the population becomes more vulnerable to the spread of the virus making it even harder to control the epidemic. Scientists have discovered drugs that can be used in suppressing the epidemic although these drugs can not cure the disease. A lot of money is spent in accessing these drugs and some people can not even afford them. The best control measure is to prevent the spread of the disease by engaging in responsible sex, use of condoms and educating young people on the dangers of engaging in risky sex.

References

Blechner, M. (1997). Hope and mortality: psychodynamic approaches to AIDS and HIV. Hillsdale: Analytic Press.

Epstein, H. (2007). The invisible cure: Africa, the West, and the fight against AIDS. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Lavreys, B. et al. (2004). Hormonal contraception and risk of HIV-1 acquisition: results of a 10-year prospective study. AIDS, 18(1), 695–7.

UNAIDS. 2008 report on the global AIDS epidemic. United Nation Aids Program. Web.

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Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome: Thirty Years of a Disease

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