Introduction
HIV infections in the United States are currently lower compared to the previous century at the advent of the epidemic. However, there continue to be disproportionate methods to deal with patients from ethnic and racial minority backgrounds. HIV/AIDS is a significant public health issue in America connected and contributed to by inaccessibility to high-quality water resources, especially in the South and Western regions.
HIV/AIDS Policy-Making in America
Despite a reduction in trend in recent years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assert that HIV is an active public health issue related to the environment. In 2019, there were 34,800 new infections which is drastically lower than the statistics during its peak in the mid-1980s (HIV.gov, 2022). Specifically, African American individuals indicate the highest infection rates occupying 42.1% of the demographic, seconded by Hispanic persons at 21.7% (HIV.gov, 2022). Additionally, gay and bisexual individuals particularly men who have sex with other men, are a vulnerable group, with the highest rates recorded in persons between 25 and 34 years (HIV.gov, 2022). These statistics highlight the rampant infection cases still present in the community that need addressing.
The federal government oversees resource distribution, such as water, which impacts sanitation and infected individuals’ health. There are differences in places and populations regarding new infection cases, with the South having the most significant share, 12.4% (CDC, 2022). Patients with HIV are susceptible to opportunistic infections such as diarrhea, whose consequences can be fatal among people with low immunity (Amaya-Tapia et al., 2023). The distribution of low-quality water in the South and Western regions of the United States contributes to increased diarrheal cases (Hiremath et al., 2022). This outcome supports the 8% infection rate noted in the Western zone, which includes cities such as San Francisco (Hiremath et al., 2022). Clean water and sanitation negate the risk of diseases like cholera and diarrhea, which deteriorate the health of those surviving HIV infections.
The National HIV/AIDS strategy for 2022 and 2025 highlights the policy changes created to deal with HIV infections in America. The policy’s priorities are to prevent new infections, particularly emanating from low-quality water resources, improve health-related outcomes of current patients, reduce health inequalities related to HIV, and enhance a coordinated and integrated response among involved stakeholders (White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP), 2020). The current policy increases awareness of HIV and implements safe prevention interventions such as using condoms. Furthermore, the policy advocates for increased diversity in healthcare delivery systems and sanitation infrastructure, ensuring the continued health of ethnic and racial minorities. Lastly, current policies encourage citizens to engage and identify infected people and not in care, thus removing low-barrier access to healthcare.
One necessary change to improve these policies is minimizing the barrier between diagnosed and newly infected cases. Whereas a doctor delivers a diagnosis on the same day, most victims are unaware of their infection status, necessitating a policy that calls for more testing and sensitization. A population aware of its infection status can generate beneficial public health policies. There are five stages to initiating policy change, beginning with identifying the problem. Second, the issue is placed on the agenda, followed by formulating a policy whose tenets represent the needs of the affected group. Lastly, government officials implement and evaluate the policy regularly to determine its success.
Patients and local governments are stakeholders in health policy creation at the individual level since their needs are central to decision-making. Public-sector individuals such as legislators enact the policies and ensure equitable resource distribution (Padamsee, 2018). Non-governmental bodies such as civil support groups or faith-based organizations offer medical or emotional guidance to deal with stigmatization. The Ministry of Health oversees the statistics and demographics of infected cases and passes this information to public and private actors. Health program administrators see that all groups are represented equally and strive to eliminate bias in the selection or treatment process. Participation and involvement from all stakeholders are necessary for large-scale success concerning the epidemic.
The strain of patients and resources required to treat HIV patients has led to declining service delivery, primarily through public means. The public health issue contributes to increased expenditure as resources are diverted from other health conditions to cater to the high levels of care HIV patients require. Reduced finances translate to fewer public health workers, degrading the quality of treatment all receive. Furthermore, inflation and changes in technology have seen a steady rise in federal spending regarding healthcare. Social programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, readily available in the 1960s, now suffer increased constraints that hamper efficient service delivery (Padamsee, 2018). Ultimately, the AIDS epidemic has compromised insurers and healthcare providers, leading to uneven distribution of resources and marginalization of minority groups.
Conclusion
In conclusion, HIV/AIDS is a significant public health issue in the United States despite reduced infection rates recently. Minority groups such as African American and Hispanic persons are disproportionately affected at the local and state levels. Current public health policies focus on reducing the number of infections and improving health outcomes for patients. Regardless, it is necessary to synthesize data concerning diagnosed cases and new infections to minimize discrepancies in service delivery. Using financial resources to treat HIV patients requiring high care has constrained the public health system. These conditions make most patients shift to private care, where the resources may adequately cater to their condition.
References
Amaya-Tapia, G., Ibarra-Nieto, G., Campollo Rivas, O., & Luis González Sánchez, J. (2023). Urinary Tract Infection in HIV/AIDS Patients. IntechOpen.
CDC. (2022). HIV incidence. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.
Hiremath, R. N., Viswanath, K., Manjunath, S. R., Kadam, D. B., Raj, R., Nimbannavar, S. M., & Kulkarni, M. K. (2022). Water, sanitation, and hygiene (wash) practices among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) – need to be relooked in the era of covid-19 pandemic. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 11(7), 3943. Web.
HIV.gov. (2022). HIV & AIDS Trends and U.S. Statistics Overview. HIV.gov. Web.
Padamsee, T. J. (2018). Fighting an epidemic in a political context: Thirty-five years of HIV/AIDS policy-making in the United States. Social History of Medicine, 33(3), 1001–1028. Web.
White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP). (2020). National HIV/AIDS Strategy 2022-2025 (NHAS). HIV.gov. Web.