Decrease in New HIV Infections - Essay Example

The Southern African region is showing a better graph whereas other regions like Central Asia and Eastern Europe are not doing very well in the reduction.

            The article highlights the fact that in South Asia there has been a fifty percent reduction amongst the younger age groups. This is because of the takeover of the new president, Jacob Zuma who upholds work against this disease and advocates testing against the disease as well as the provision of the drugs against the disease. According to the Unaids, there have been many contributory factors throughout the world for this reduction of the number of sufferers of this disease. This includes the change in the culture and the awareness about sex education. The release of gay men from prisons in such areas has also been helpful. Also, the targeting of high-risk groups of the virus with education and prevention methods has been a reason for the better results. Strong campaigns in certain countries are also being carried out with Iran being an example where condoms are provided in the jails along with private times for the men to meet their wives to reduce the risk of acquiring AIDS. The article in the end explains that treatments programs are being run but considering the large number of people affected with this condition, there are still 10 million people who do not have access to treatment. The article highlights a very important finding that 33.3 million people in the world are H.I.V. positive. It ends on the note that there is still a long way before it can be claimed that the disease is under control and not a major world problem.

            The article provides for the fact that treatment is available for the disease to increase the life expectancy of the patients. “The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria” and “the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief” are two programs that work towards providing antiretroviral drugs to the patients but they fail to cover all the patients. The article also points out that the treatment can be the first line, second line, and third-line but with every stage, the expenses of the treatment also increase.

            The article explains the fact that the epidemic of AIDS initiated three decades ago and it is a global problem that needs to be tackled because despite the fact there is a down way trend in the occurrence but the disease is still a major cause of infecting a large number of people around the world and 33.3 million sufferers are known to exist across the globe.

            Hence, it can be understood that AIDS is a global issue that needs to be tackled. A large number of people across the globe are suffering from this life hampering condition. Awareness and education programs are being run to control the disease but a lot more needs to be done to overcome this disease and reduce its occurrence to stable levels.