What are some ways education has been used to decrease the prevalence of AIDS?
In the early 90's HIV/ AIDS hit the maps with reported infections in 164 countries, mainly in Africa. South Africa showed the highest percentage in the world with cases of infected people. Not all cases are new infections, many are children that are infected with HIV. The average life expectancy in 9 African countries is 40 years of age due to at birth infections.
HIV/AIDS is passed through needle sharing, unprotected heterosexual and homosexual sex, breast milk and rectal fluids to name a few, also women are being infected through their partners not disclosing to them they are HIV positive (Helman, 2007).
Education about how the virus is spread is a priority, next is reaching rural areas that don't have access to television and computers, or regular doctors' visits, or access to the drug store or health department for a supply of condoms. HIV/AIDS is not curable and is easily spread from mother to baby, or person to person (staff, 2015).
Knowing how the disease is transmitted is also key in the spreading of this dreadful disease (Helman, 2007). To prevent the spread of HIV/ AIDS we should educate our friends, children, children's friends, patients, family members everyone we can. Steps in prevention start with a supply of condoms to people who are sexually active (staff, 2015).
As a parent the last thing I want to think about is my kids being promiscuous and possibly contracting this virus. If I choose not to say anything I am putting them at risk, as much as I would like for them to wait until they get married, I can't control that.
Truvada can be given for those who are at high risk for infection, nut blood test and a negative HIV screening are required before use, condoms should still be used during sex. Tell your partner if you have HIV already, I once had a patient that was HIV positive and he had infected his girlfriend.
By the time they found out, she was pregnant with their first child, the only problem was that during that time he had infected many other women due to promiscuous sex, there is no telling how many women were infected by him.
Use clean needles, as a people we do not condone the use of drugs of any kind, sadly many street drug users don't care where they get the needle from if they get one, passing needles can cause not only HIV but Hepatitis B. Pregnancy is another mode of transmission, many women that are infected and don't know it pass HIV to the baby during birth. Sadly, many baby's lives are cut short for this reason.
Prenatal care from a high-risk specialist and a c- section can prevent the baby from contracting the virus. Do you know anyone who is willing to work with AIDS patients and is an advocate for education to prevent the spread of this disease?