The Issue of Pregnant Women with HIV/AIDS in California - Report Example

HIV/AIDS in Society HIV/AIDS is a disease that has had its implications on society in a very vast manner especially over the last two decades. The disease came to prominence around the year 1987 and since then the number of infections have been on the steady rise. The disease is spread through very many distinct ways. There is the spread of the disease from having many sexual partners, the sharing of sharp objects with a person already infected with the virus and finally yet importantly, there is that of pregnant women transferring the disease to their unborn babies. This paper will be very clear in expressing the issues faced by pregnant women with HIV/AIDS and the various manners through which society observes and treats them. It is important to look at this issue because there is a lot of stigma around concerning these women. The state of California views the problem of these women in various perspectives and offers the best that it can through the healthcare system to ensure that they receive the amount of care they require. The problems faced by these women are widespread and are all across the world but the different manners through which the healthcare organizations look at them is very important. One of the very important aspects of the issue that the California health system focuses on is the counseling of these women so that they cannot feel left out or rather feel weird. The women receive treatment in a manner through which they receive the best medical care because there is also the focus on the health condition of the unborn child. The screening of the women is rather imperative for the research of other health issues that may make them weaker. When a person has HIV/AIDS, the white blood cells that are responsible for the guard of the body do not function correctly (Jones 137). It is for this reason that any other health condition is supposed to be given a priority to ensure that the women do not suffer a lot. This was study carried out by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. California also takes the issue rather seriously from the manner in which medical practitioners offer the required prophylaxis. The local government has a major role to play in this because there are many countries that have bills that have the family of the HIV/AIDS infected patient carrying the burden of paying the bills for the medication. The medication is very important as it assists in the healing of Opportunistic Infections. These infections were reported to have killed around 37% of all pregnant HIV/AIDS patients in California over the period between 1990 and 2000. The analysis made it very important for the government to bring in a program that ensured that the deaths resulting from these infections reduced (Adams, 2011). The issue of HIV/AIDS is taken in a rather serious manner in California from the number of bills that are passed regarding the issue. One of the bills passed ensured that among all the necessary tests taken by pregnant women when being admitted to hospitals, HIV/AIDS becomes one of them (Adams). The first step taken is immunization that also assists in protecting the unborn child from contracting the disease. The reason as to why the government decided to make a priority while handling pregnant women is from the manner through which parents’ health state in their pregnant period. Further studies showed that the reason as to why this was present is that they did not receive the required care as compared to the other women without the disease. The death of the women also led to the death of their unborn children and the census taken in the year 2000 showed a very large number of deaths during childbirth. A significant number of these cases had HIV/AIDS as their main cause. A specific area in California to study with regard to the issue is Los Angeles. The region has made 25 years in the line of HIV/AIDS testing for pregnant women this year. However, statistics from the area shows that the number of women dying and infected with HIV/AIDS during their pregnant periods has been steadily on the rise (Jacobs 829). The government has made very drastic efforts to reduce this rate though the rate has not been decreasing and it just of the current years that the health ministry stated that it was welcome for advice from different areas in an effort to reduce the rates. One of the strategies that the area has taken in ensuring that the number of HIV/AIDS related deaths decrease is by the introduction of antiretroviral therapy. Scientists to be very functional in that the number of deaths in other countries has decreased vastly and Africa, which is the most hit by continent, being one of them, have stated this form of therapy (Peters 12). Initially, various institutions in Los Angeles had carried out tests on the antiretroviral drugs and stated that they did not meet the health conditions of California. Due to this, they had ignored the usage of the drugs despite the recommendation and warning of the World Health Organization. Failure to use the drugs has been rather a scourge to society rather than a positive effect and thus the recent decision to bring in the therapy to California. Another manner through which the government has dedicated to the resolution or rather the reduction of the effect is by Patient Education. The first step that the state through the medical practitioners unit has taken is ensuring that there is the training of health personnel on the issue of HIV/AIDS in pregnant women and spreading the word. Various institutions have been opened around the state major in the training (Siegfried 16). After the training, it is important for the trainees to teach the pregnant women of the various important steps that they should follow. The carrying out of this is by advising them to avoid various health compromising substances such as alcohol and cigarettes. Previous research shows that the word of mouth has not been effective and thus the state has introduced various classes that are taught by showing the actual implications of the substances to the body and to the child. The teaching is through movies projected in various halls in health institutions in an effort to educate the patients. Interview with local doctor Jane Me: Hello Jane Jane: Hello Me: Kindly offer me an overview of the issue of pregnant women with HIV/AIDS here in the State of California. Jane: The number of Women with HIV/AIDS here in California has steadily decreased over the past few years and this is because of the state of our healthcare system Me: How is that so? Jane: Many healthcare officials offer these mothers the attention they require with regard to their ailments and they end up getting better and living positively together with their children after birth Me: What has been the role of the authorities regarding this? Jane: The government has initiated some programs that have assisted in the restructuring of our healthcare system in order to offer the quality care we do. It is critical to note that we hope to have better qualified nurses over the coming years. Me: Thank you very much for your insight on the matter. Jane: You are much welcome Query Letter 6th December 2014 UCLA Medical Center 757 Westwood Plaza California Dear Sir/Madam It is with great humility that I write to you as a member of this community wishing to get some information regarding the issue of pregnant women with HIV/AIDS in the area. There have been some commendations that your hospital staff does treat these women with the quality medical attention that they deserve. Consequently, some of these women have had nothing but wonderful reviews regarding your institution. I am writing to inquire on what plans your institution has in an effort to improve on this tremendous job and actually get to know how it does this. Moreover, what advice would you as the chief surgeon at the institution offer to other medical practitioners in order to have as effective a medical care center as yours? Kind Regards Name Signature Work Cited Siegfried, Nimrod. Micronutrient Supplementation n Pregnant Women with HIV Infection. Journal of Cognitive Psychology in Relation to Medical Science. 2012, 7(35), 16- 17. Jacobs, Daniel. Community Support and Disclosure of HIV/AIDS Serostatus to Family Members. International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Health. 2011, 5(36), 821-833. Peters, Jared. International Travel on Women with HIV/AIDS. Families , Systems and Health. 2013, 2(13), 11-12. Adams, Terry. Care of HIV Infected Pregnant Women. 2011. Web http://www.aidsetc.org/aidsetc?page=cg-403_pregnant_women#S2X Jones, Derrick. HIV/AIDS: The Stigma. London: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print. Read More