Letter to the Editor - Essay Example

Junction Daily Nation Dear editor, There is a credible increase in HIV reported cases amongst injecting Drug Users (IDUs). There is a recent outbreak of HIV among IDUs. This problem is affecting the youths who inject drugs in their bodies. In addition, all other drug dealers face this problem. Injecting Drug Users are a minority group that have not been focused on. Youths who contract HIV while injecting or under the influence of drugs rarely understand the magnitude of their actions. The data used is got from systemic surveillance system and lab studies. The cause of this is transmission from those drug dealers who are HIV positive to native drug dealer or users. The transmission of the disease occurs on sharing of the needles and syringes. Some drugs abused have effects of do not care aspect coming from the drug abusers. They often exchange or share the needles and syringes containing the drugs. In the process of sharing, if one drug user is an HIV positive, the virus will end up spreading to many more users when they share the needles. Therefore, injecting drugs Users constitute a health threat to the local population. The main reason why IDUs should be focused is that most are young people. They spread HIV to the rest of the people because they are more sexually active. This means that the future generation will be at risk.
HIV sequences comparison from newly reported cases amongst injecting drug users has been used. Similarities of the genome got identified. This sums up that the virus must be circulating among drug users. Other data collected by clinical monitoring are represented for injecting drug users. HIV among the IDUs has remained a neglected issue. Policies have been many concerning drug control, but the level of a country to address HIV among IDUs is extremely low. In most cases, prevention services are limited. IDUs get no care or support from any source even when the funding of the HIV prevention measures got put into consideration. My main objective in this letter is to come up with an appealing solution to help curb this problem of HIV amongst IDUs (W.H.O., 2004).
It is not necessary to stigmatise anyone as the cause of this but rather focus on the risk and take appropriate health action to stop the spread of the virus. Recent studies show that the IDUs remains excluded from the anti retroviral therapy and even basic care. To solve this problem, we need a multi combination of methods to at least be effective. This guide is put down for all institutions, individuals and groups worldwide who are concerned about HIV among IDUs. Spread of the virus among the drug users can be controlled if a few people use drug or those injecting the drug do it less frequently. Experience has brought out that to curb an epidemic or an outbreak, there must be a preventive measure of drug abuse, entry on drug treatment and establishing outreach programmes to engage IDUs in prevention of HIV. This is a comprehensive package for prevention of the virus among the IDUs. Therefore, the target people are individuals using the drugs.
Young people at risk of drug use must be assisted to avoid the use. Those that are already injecting are appealed to stop or inject less frequently. The users may be advised to turn on other methods like smoking or ingesting if they must do drugs. Those regularly injecting should be given substitution drugs such as methadone. There should be a community outreach to give information on all drug users. Since it is difficult to identify all those dealing with injecting drugs, seminars should be conducted to teach on safe or clean injections, use of condoms and appeal for treatment. Information on acquiring sterile needles, HIV education, and training on life skills, voluntary counselling and testing, treatment options are all looked at in comprehensive care centre. Outreach programs are the most effective in addressing this problem because many people will be reached. This is an affordable way of eliminating or lowering the spread of HIV among IDUs. The Junction City Daily Nation can help to curb this spread of HIV by offering information to the community. This may be through its publications. It can also organise community outreach programs to educate people on this issue.
If all the above strategies are put into action by the relevant authorities, the issue of HIV among the IDUs will be brought down significantly. A combination of this method and law enforcement to drugs policy may help resolve this problem once and for all.
Sincerely,
Sally Smith
Work cited
World Health Organization (2004) Advocacy guide: HIV/AIDS prevention among injecting users: workshop manual / World Health Organization, UNAIDS. Retrieved from www.who.int/hiv/pub/.../en/advocacyguideen.pdf. Read More