Risk Factors Associated with the HIV Disease - Research Paper Example

?Devise a national communications strategy aimed at educating and raising the awareness of young people in relation to the key risks of from and means of protection against the HIV disease. Specific Background Information in Relation to AIDS No country in this world is exonerated from the risk and threat of HIV. This is because no country in this world has a zero percent prevalence rate of the HIV disease. With Australia, the fact that the country is found in the Oceania alone does not present a very glooming picture of HIV infection for the country. This is because according to AVERT (2010), “the number of people living with HIV in Oceania almost doubled from 28,000 in 2001 to 57,000 in 2009.” This means that unlike other regions of the world, the Oceania keep having increasing infection rates. Specifically with Australia, it is officially known that “from the start of the epidemic until the end of 2009, there have been 29,395 diagnoses of HIV and 10,446 diagnoses of AIDS. Australia has recorded 6,776 AIDS deaths” (AVERT, 2010). In terms of AIDS, the country has recorded downward infection rates since 2005 from 234 to 90 in 2009. However with new HIV infections, there has been rising new prevalence and infection rate since the same period of time. This is an alarming situation. The graph below represents data on new HIV and AIDS infection rates for Australia for a decade from 1999 to 2009. Source: AVERT (2010). Australia HIV & AIDS Statistics From the graph, it can be seen that the new infections of HIV generally rise whiles that of AIDS generally decrease. The truth however is that all people having HIV will eventually contract AIDS and so if there is something to be worried about most, it should be the new HIV, which unfortunately keeps going up. Statement of Problem The present problem for which a strategy needs to be developed is the seemingly low level of awareness on the risk factors associated with the HIV disease and how the key risks associated with the disease can be prevented or minimized. Lately, there is a globally low trend on the campaign against HIV because of the general downward infection rates recorded of late. AVERT (2010) notes that “the number of deaths probably peaked around 2004, and due to the expansion of antiretroviral therapy, declined by 19 percent between 2004 and 2009.” Because of this trend, governments, non-governmental agencies and other organized bodies that formally championed the campaign on HIV all seem to have coiled back into their shells. It is said to note that there continue to be low budgets allocated to HIV awareness programs because of the general assurance that the infection rate of HIV is going down. One very important factor that stakeholders who seem to be relaxing on their efforts seem to be forgetting is the fact that low infection rates is not equal to zero infection rate. It is not as if HIV no longer affects new casualties. Sight must not even be lost of the fact that HIV continues to remain a non-curative disease and a disease that is still rated as an epidemic. Presently, there is no continent or country that has a zero infection rate. For this reason, there is a major problem of reduced awareness and thus the need to strategies means of uplifting the once vibrant campaign against HIV and AIDS infections in the country. Questions Motivating Research for Devising the Strategy The conduct of this research shall pivot around a number of questions. These questions are worth stating because they are going to serve as delimitations to the researcher in defining the kind of information to look out for and which information to leave out of the research. The questions are again worth stating because they will guide the researcher in knowing exactly what the research work seeks to achieve and scope that the research work may not deal with. The questions that are going to guide the conduct of the research and device of the strategy are therefore given as followers: 1. What is the global infection rate of HIV? 2. How serious has the campaign on HIV in the country been taken over the years? 3. How well does the young person in the country know about ways of preventing HIV? 4. What is the attitude of young people in the country towards the need for them to guide themselves against contracting HIV? 5. What social economic factors are associated with high prevalence rate of HIV? 6. Which specific social lifestyle of young people put them at higher risks of contracting HIV? 7. How far has politicians fulfilled their promises on the fight against HIV in the country? 8. What global steps can be taken to championing the prevention of HIV rather than the control of mortality rate associated with the disease? 9. What should be the way forward in awareness creation on the HIV menace? 10. What are the best strategic approaches needed to combat the spread of HIV in the country? Analysis of Research Findings In order to have a well focused strategy, a very brief but highly comprehensive research data collection process was carried out. This was to give the researcher a better view of the HIV situation as it really existed on the grounds. This data collection exercise was necessary because without it, the researcher would not have had a clear-cut policy direction for devising a strategy for campaigning against the HIV disease. Out of the research, there were three major themes that were set. Each of these themes has resulted in one unique finding that have been briefly analysed as follows: Highest Risk Factors: The research findings established that the highest risk factors associated with the cause and spread of HIV were sexual activities. In the findings, it was revealed that sexual activities accounted for the highest cause of HIV and the spread of the diseases thereof. Sexual activities such as vaginal sex, anal sex and oral sex were all among the highest causes of means of spread of HIV. From the findings, it can be deduced that unprotected sex is still very high among young people in the country. Indeed, young people have come to a stage where sex is used as the best medium for showing love and this is a wrong social lifestyle. However because these young people are not really settled on their decision to marry, they do not consider having HIV test before indulging in sex. Unfortunately, most of them start with protected sex but with time they tend to have instances where they engage in sex even before thinking of protection and then eventually give up on protection all together. Some of these young lovers make promises of faithfulness to each other but what they tend to forget is that their past sexual life has great influence on whether not they contract HIV and so the best way to ensure safety is to know their HIV status before engaging in any act of sex – even oral sex! Vulnerability Group: There was a very unpleasant revelation from the findings and that was that most children who contract HIV get it through mother-to-child transmission and that children are the most vulnerable group when it comes to HIV infection and treatment. Children could not be described any better than being the worse vulnerable group as “most of these children are babies born to women with HIV, who acquire the virus during pregnancy, labour or delivery, or through breast milk” (AVERT, 2010). As a matter of fact the situation is very disturbing because, children who appear to be very innocent of conscious ways of contracting the HIV disease through acts like sex and careless use of sharp objects also have several modes through which they contract the disease. Focusing the strategy on ways of avoiding reducing or avoiding mother-to-child infections among young mothers and potential mothers would therefore be a right initiative to take. Most effective Preventive Measure: The research findings pointed out that the most effective preventive measure to take is to target the very young people of Australia who have been diagnosed not to be infected with HIV already. This was not going to be the sole strategic approach though it would be very central in the strategy. The preventive approach was therefore going to be called Window of Hope. The young people who have not been infected with HIV already are going to be the Window of Hope meaning that if preventive campaigns are adhered by them, the probability that a zero infection rate of HIV can be achieved one day would be possible because no one who is HIV negative presently would ever become HIV positive. This may sound very ambitious but theoretically, it is achievable because if there continue not to be new cases of HIV infections, there will be no more HIV infected people after all presently infected people die. Discussion and Analysis of Key Stakeholder Group(s) arising from Research Findings The research findings bring on board some very important stakeholders whose presence and input will be very much needed for the strategy to be designed. The stakeholder groups and how their inputs will be necessary for the strategic plan have been briefly discussed below: All HIV Negative People: it is not as if the strategic plan seeks to stigmatise against people with HIV but as stated under the research questions column, this strategic plan has delimitation and for this particular purpose, it is HIV negative citizens who are most suitable for the study. This stakeholder group are very important because they are the group who will be used as the Window of Hope. They will basically be informed and given the awareness of how they can keep their present HIV negative status. Health Practitioners: Health practitioners shall be useful in the sense that their inputs shall be needed on ways of reducing mother-to-child infections among HIV positive pregnant women. Sadly, most mother-to-child infections go on even under the watch of health professional. These professionals shall therefore be educated and new and modernised ways of helping reduce the risk of mother-to-child infections. Pregnant HIV Positive Women: These stakeholders are needed because they are going to be the target for checking and controlling new cases of HIV infections as far as mother-to-child infections are concerned. It has been revealed that as much as health professional are partly to blame for most mother-to-child infections, HIV positive pregnant mothers who refuse to adhere to professional advice on mother-to-child prevention worsen the rate at which their unborn and newly born babies may be infected. National AIDS Policy Makers: The strategy will never be complete without national AIDS policy makers. This is because the most effective way to have a national communication framework is to have the backing and support of these policy makers. This is said because it is only after these authorised experts put the suggestions from the strategy into policy that implementation can be assured at a national level. Goals and Objectives for the Strategy The overall goal of this strategy is to reduce the causes and incidences of newly reported cases of HIV in Australia if not totally eradicate new infections. The achievement of this all important goal however depends on the achievement of a number of specific objectives. This is to say that the goal will be achieved if all or majority of the specific objectives are achieved. The specific objectives being sought to be achieved by the strategy are given as follows: 1. To reach as many young people and HIV negative people with awareness message on causes of HIV as possible. 2. To educate as many young people and HIV negative people on ways of preventing HIV as possible. 3. To train health professionals on new and modernised ways of ensuring that mother-to-child incidences of HIV infections are avoided. 4. To advocate adherence to HIV prevention instructions given to pregnant women who are HIV positive. 5. To get all citizens in Australia to test for their HIV status. Statement and Discussion of Strategy Under this section, a vivid statement of the strategy is done. The statement of the strategy is followed by a detailed discussion on how the strategy takes into account the interests of stakeholders and how the strategy is in line with the vision and mission of the organisation being represented. To start with, the strategy shall work on three major models. The three models are briefly discussed below: Know your Status Campaign: The ‘know your status’ campaign shall be the first model, which shall be used to campaign to all people on the need for them to check and know their HIV status. The campaign shall be delivered through radio, television and internet related advertisement and appeals. As part of the strategy, consolatory messages shall be collected from high profile politicians, stars, achievers, national heroes and national role models on the need for all people to test and know their HIV status. The need for people to know their status is pegged as the first model because the success of the remaining models rests on this move. Window of Hope Campaign: After getting as many people as possible to check and be sure of their HIV status that is when the actual one-on-one window of hope campaign will start. The campaign will be in the form of educating and creating awareness among HIV negative people on how they can prevent the occurrence of new HIV cases. These people shall be made to understand that they are the hope of the country and that if they stick to the campaign not to get infected by HIV, the nation can boast of zero infection rates in the nearest future. The ABC slogan shall be adapted. The slogan stands for Abstaining from sex, Being faithful to ones partner and Condom use. The campaign shall start from second cycle and tertiary educational institutions. It will be extended to other youth clubs and institutions. Starting as a pilot program, there will be a goal to attain a nation wide coverage in the eventual process. The Stabilisation Campaign: The final model shall focus on HIV positive patients. The campaign shall educate them on ways of avoiding the spread of the disease either among themselves or among HIV negative people. An important focus for this model shall be pregnant women who are HIV positive. These people shall be educated on how to avoid mother-to-child infections. All the above strategies satisfy and meet the mission, vision and aspirations of the organisation and stakeholders in the sense that the organisation and stakeholders involved are all campaigners and advocators for improved healthcare among residents of Australia and particularly, the reduction of HIV prevalence rate among residents. How Strategy will be Monitored and Evaluated There is going to be a very straight forward monitoring and evaluation policy that will accompany the strategy. The monitoring and evaluation policy shall be guided by the principal of external quality assurance. Relating quality assurance to a very typical trader-customer relationship, Kietzman (2011) notes that “quality assurance is the process of verifying or determining whether products or services meet or exceed customer expectations.” In the prevailing situation, a quality assurance program shall be carried out to find out how effective the strategy has been in achieving its goal and objectives. Clearly, the best way to get this response will be to fall on the experts and health officials who hold records on HIV prevalence rate. It is for this reason that the monitoring and evaluation program shall be termed external. This is because the monitoring and evaluation shall be done outside the jurisdiction of organisation. A major advantage with this approach is that all forms of bias and unfairness in ranking and rating the success of the strategy shall be avoided. This is not to say however that the organisation shall have no hand in the monitoring and evaluation program because the external team shall report its findings to the organisation. Upon reception of the report, the organisation shall use the findings from the monitoring and evaluation report to take decisions on the way forward. The position way forward would be either to repeat a dose of the program if it is found successful or to change the entire strategy if it is found to be a failure. REFERENCE LIST AVERT, ‘Australia HIV & AIDS Statistics’, 2010. Web. October 28, 2011 Kietzman S. ‘What is Quality Assurance?’ 2011. Web. October 29, 2011 AVERT, ‘Worldwide HIV/AIDS Statistics Commentary’, 2010. Web. October 28, 2011 Read More