HIV is the virus that is commonly transmitted sexually and can develop into AIDS. In the U. S. gay and bisexual of all races are the most severely affected by HIV. HIV can also spread through breast milk, blood, and needles either through drug use or the use of an unsterile needles when getting a tattoo. Over 1 million people in the U. S. are currently living with HIV and 1 in 7 don’t know it. In the world, there are estimated 42 million people that are living with HIV/AIDS. The area with the majority of HIV/AIDS is in sub-Saharan Africa.
Due to the brutality of the HIV/AIDS epidemic there is a need for a Public Health Plan. One topic to be focused on in relation to making a public health plan to protect and promote health and well-being is the use of condoms. Condoms are used to prevent STD’s and pregnancy. The safest condoms for protection against STD’s is latex condoms (Sexual Health, Birth Control, and Condoms). They are highly effective in prevention when used consistently and correctly. HIV can be obtained through oral, anal, and vaginal sex. HIV can be transmitted through semen, blood, vaginal fluids, and breast milk. There is no cure to AIDS (DBQ A).
That is why it is a condom should be used for all types of sex, even oral, though the risk is much lower it is still possible to get HIV through oral sex (aids. gov). Condoms usually cost from about $0. 50 to $1 for males. They are inexpensive in my opinion and everyone at risk of receiving or giving HIV or any STD should have and be using them whenever they are having sex. I suggest a good plan for preventing HIV with use of condoms is by making them available at schools for free because about 1 in 4 new HIV infection occurs in teens between the ages of 13 and 24.
These teens should be using a condom every time whether they think/know if they or their partner has HIV or not because most are unaware of their infection and can pass it unknowingly. Also they should be highly advertised in areas/regions where HIV/AIDS is a big issue. The more people that use condoms, the less risk of people gaining HIV through sexual intercourse. Another topic to be focused on is the location of where HIV/AIDS is in relation to the number of infections. The top locations globally with the most HIV/AIDS infected people is the sub-Saharan Africa region and India (aids. gov).
These two locations have a number of areas where people live in poverty and the economy is very poor. Poverty is the state of having inferior quality and of being extremely poor. Poverty usually affects HIV with relation to either not being able to afford or not having the proper quality needed of sterile needles for drug use or tattoos and also condoms. Sub-Saharan Africa is the leading area globally for total new HIV infections at about 70% (World Health Organization). Also because these two locations are heavily populated with HIV/AIDS victims, they receive a lot of discrimination (DBQ A).
Since these locations live in poverty I suggest to help promote the health and well-being of the people living in these location that we establish clinics for testing and treatment and also provide condoms and some kind of center for exchanging unsterile needles for sterile ones. This would benefit drug users and males who have homosexual or bisexual intercourse because males that have sex with other males is a very common way for people in these areas to contract HIV and also in areas that are economically poor usually have a higher number of drug users (Palo Alto Medical Foundation/aids. gov).
What I feel is the most important part for creating a public health plan is education. If teens can be taught to how to handle living with or preventing HIV/AIDS there would be a less percentage of newly infected people per year and hopefully the number of people who live with HIV/AIDS globally will decrease due to informing teens before they make choices that give them the STD. In the U. S. 34% of high school students are sexually active and 41% of these students do not use a condom. About 60% of youth are unaware that they are victims of the HIV epidemic. Only about 85% of students were taught in school about HIV/AIDS.