Introduction
There are numerous incurable diseases on the planet, and every year, countries and private companies allocate large sums of money to research conducted in order to receive new and effective medication for them. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are among the main incurable diseases humanity faces right now. Every nation approaches the problem of HIV/AIDS in its own way and designs treatment programs featuring different guidelines, which makes it interesting to analyze various methods to discover the most beneficial ones. This paper will discuss the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States and Brazil, the global impact of the disease, as well as the role of nurses in addressing the issue.
Global health Problems of HIV/AIDS
The problem of HIV/AIDS is truly global, and it affects not only the people who have these diseases but also the healthcare systems and the staff, including nurses. According to recent data, at the end of 2020, there were more than 37 million people living with HIV, the majority of whom were from the African region (“HIV/AIDS,” 2021). Since the diseases are incurable, the treatment can only help patients control the symptoms of their conditions. Nevertheless, the mortality rate among people with HIV/AIDS is still high, and in 2020 alone, there were more than 600 thousand deaths registered (“HIV/AIDS,” 2021). It is clear that such high numbers both in terms of the deaths and the population living with HIV/AIDS constitute a considerable challenge for healthcare systems globally.
Moreover, the issue of HIV/AIDS is important to address because the incidence of the disease worldwide has to be controlled in order to prevent the growth of the number of people with the condition. Research demonstrates that in 1990 there were approximately only 8 million individuals who had HIV/AIDS (Pandey & Galvani, 2019). When comparing the incidence between 1990 and 2020, it becomes apparent that the number of people with the deadly virus has only grown over the past thirty years. Certainly, it is possible to say that at the end of the 20th century, scientists did not yet have the capacity to detect the spreading of diseases at the current rate. Nevertheless, the existing situation raises numerous concerns since the number of HIV patients is extremely high.
Under the current circumstances, countries’ healthcare systems employ various methods of countering the epidemic, and nurses are at the forefront of the campaign against the spreading of the disease. Nurses provide essential care to patients during the late stages of their disease who can no longer function properly and perform basic activities. Nurses also deliver counseling to people who recently discovered that they have HIV/AIDS and need to understand how to navigate their lives from now on. Additionally, nurses often initiate life-saving antiretroviral therapy in the absence of physicians, especially in poor regions of the planet (Nutor, 2020). There are also nursing organizations that contribute to the promotion of education and professional skills and the development of specialists working with HIV patients. Essentially, nurses are vital for the efforts to address the current HIV/AIDS epidemic and play a key role in the provision of care to patients who live with these diseases.
Global Impact of HIV/AIDS
As mentioned above, countries have different perspectives on the problem of HIV/AIDS, and their approaches to countering the epidemic vary. The United States is one of the leading countries in terms of efforts to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS. Even though the prevalence of HIV in the U.S. population is low, the country still recognizes it as an important issue and allocates more than $20 billion to therapy (McCann et al., 2020). Nevertheless, the effectiveness of the United States’ measures against the virus remains moderate. For instance, the country has the highest prices for antiretroviral treatment among well-resourced nations, yet its HIV viral suppression rate of 54% is the lowest one (McCann et al., 2020). Such performance demonstrates that the country experiences considerable issues with its anti-HIV programs.
The country has implemented various initiatives to counter the spreading of HIV and ensure better prevention. For instance, “Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America” is a federal program that seeks to achieve the goal of reducing the number of infections by 90% in 10 years (Fauci & Lane, 2020). The effort involves increasing the rate of testing in order to have a better chance of detecting the disease early. It also implies improving the access of the population to therapy to suppress the virus during its first stages of development. The United States also highlights the importance of prevention measures, which involve establishing access to condoms and sterile syringes, Prevention programs for partners of HIV patients and those with a high risk of infection (“HIV Prevention Works,” 2020). Thus, it can be concluded that the U.S. anti-HIV/AIDS efforts are quite comprehensive and receive substantial funding.
Brazil has a different situation with the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country but employs similar tools to counter it. Brazil considers its HIV epidemic stable, yet over the last decade, the number of people living with the disease has risen by at least 300 thousand individuals (“HIV and AIDS in Brazil,” n.d.). Such numbers show that the problem is significant in the country, and the government has introduced several key measures to address it. For instance, Brazil was one of the first countries to offer free self-testing kits to its population (“HIV and AIDS in Brazil,” n.d.). Essentially, in Brazil, everyone has access to testing, which can easily and quickly show whether they have the disease. The diagnosis rate in the country rose to 85%, demonstrating that the nation is committed to its anti-HIV efforts (“HIV and AIDS in Brazil,” n.d.). Moreover, the viral suppression rate in Brazil of 65% is higher than that of the United States (“HIV and AIDS in Brazil,” n.d.). Basically, Brazil has achieved better results in its work to reduce the impact of HIV compared to other countries.
Similar to the United States, Brazil seeks to both ensure access to vital therapy for people with the disease and establish preventive measures. Brazil was the first to provide antiretroviral therapy free of charge to middle-income countries (Benzaken et al., 2019). Today, in Brazil, every person diagnosed with HIV/AIDS can get the required medication without the need to pay for it. The country also invests in HIV prevention resources which include condoms and lubricants, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, and pre-and post-exposure prophylaxis (Benzaken et al., 2019). As a result, the country managed to continuously reduce its mortality rate among HIV/AIDS patients.
How Nurses Can Impact HIV/AIDS
As mentioned previously, nurses have a considerable impact on reducing the HIV/AIDS epidemic and often become the sole force against the disease. Nevertheless, there are always additional measures that nurses can take to ensure that the efforts to counter HIV are more effective. The first and most important step is educating clients on the importance of conducting regular testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Raising awareness of people about the risk of getting HIV must be one of the priorities of nurses who truly care for their patients. Community awareness projects are an effective way to expose a large number of people to the topic of HIV. For instance, nurses can other health care specialists can organize a local event promoting the need to get tested for HIV among the residents.
Nurses also can advocate on the part of their patients and lobby for legislation concerning HIV and AIDS. For example, nurses can lobby for the adoption of federal laws that guarantee free HIV medication for all people diagnosed with the disease regardless of their income and insurance. Finally, it is clear that the poorest and most vulnerable layers of society are more susceptible to becoming infected due to their lack of resources and knowledge. Nurses must view it as their moral responsibility to promote preventive measures among such populations by expanding their access to testing and contraceptives.
Conclusion
The efforts to counter the HIV/AIDS epidemic and are extremely important for every country, and the United States and Brazil have introduced successful anti-HIV programs. Both countries focus on the provision of free testing to detect the maximum number of infected individuals. Additionally, citizens of the two nations can easily gain access to effective mediation, which can help them to control their condition. Thus, despite certain differences, the United States and Brazil manage to maintain stable situations with the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
References
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McCann, N. C., Horn, T. H., Hyle, E. P., & Walensky, R. P. (2020). HIV antiretroviral therapy costs in the United States, 2012-2018. JAMA Internal Medicine, 180(4), 601–603. Web.
Nutor, J. (2020). Nurses are playing a bigger role than ever in the fight against HIV – they deserve more support. The Conversation. Web.
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