Immune System and Health Care Act free essay sample

AIDS is the leading cause of death worldwide and it affects millions of individuals daily. AIDS is an abbreviation for (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is the final stage of HIV (Human Immune Deficiency Virus), which causes severe damage to the immune system. AIDS officially originated from a primate of chimpanzees in West Africa as the source of HIV infection in humans. Scientist believed that the chimpanzee version of the virus called (Simian Immunodeficiency Virus or SIV) most likely was transmitted to humans and mutated into HIV when humans hunted this source for meat and became in contact with their infected blood which resulted to HIV. Over decades, the virus slowly spread across Africa and later into other parts of the world. Today, the targeted populations of AIDS are Black/African Americans. The estimated number of AIDS diagnosis in 2011 was 15,958; and the cumulative estimated number of AIDS diagnosis through 2011 was 486,282 according to the CDC. We will write a custom essay sample on Immune System and Health Care Act or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page â€Å"According to Centers for Disease Control (CDC), African Americans represent 13% of the U. S. population but account for more than half of all new HIV diagnosis. One in five HIV positive Americans close to a quarter of a million people have yet to be diagnosed. Alarmingly, African Americans make up the majority of the undiagnosed. Evidence shows that individuals who are unaware of their HIV status are more likely to transmit HIV and less likely to access care and treatment that improve their quality of life. † (cdc. gov) More than 1. 1 million people in the U. S. are living with the AIDS virus, and almost 1 in 6 (15. 8%) are unaware of their infection; gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men particularly young black/African American are most seriously affected by the virus; by race, blacks/African Americans face the most severe burden of this chronic disease. Changing of demographics has a major impact on healthcare market because the spread of this infection is changing increasingly. In addition to increasing mortality, AIDS can also affect demographic change by reducing the fertility of women who are affected with AIDS and influencing age at marriage, sexual behavior and contraceptive use. Although AIDS clearly will have a serious impact on population growth rates, it is not expected to lead to negative population growth in any country. Healthcare related changes to this population consist of increase in healthcare costs; and increases in drug and prescription costs. Even though AIDS patients are getting older, many are still under 65, meaning they are not eligible for Medicare or other services funded through the Older Americans Act, the Affordable Care Act, the 2010 healthcare law, is critical in bringing care to older HIV- positive adults. By expanding Medicaid, eliminating co-payments for services like HIV testing and providing HIV medication coverage, the health care act will improve better care available to HIV/AIDS patients. HIV/AIDS testing should be just as important as regular blood pressure checks. Some local health organizations offer free HIV/AIDS testing to individuals. With the final stages of AIDS in home medical care may be needed. As the disease progresses all three main systems namely nervous system, muscular system and glandular systems are affected. As the disease progresses, the muscles tend to shrink and the body tends to thin out; weight loss occurs tremendously; most of the medicines become nearly ineffective. An individual will find it hard to perform ADL’s and medical staff will be needed. Chronic conditions such as HIV/AIDS are major killers in the U. S. and are a major source of illness, hospitalization, health care costs and long term disability. Without aggressive intervention into the root causes of these chronic diseases and their costs these trends are expected to continue to worsen. Chronic disease prevention and wellness promotion have been shown to reduce costs successfully. Wellness programs are already implementing policies and programs to promote physical activity, good nutrition, tobacco avoidance and cessation and health screenings. The marketing needs based off of demographics are certain. The major demographic processes, mortality and fertility are affected by AIDS. Direct effects on mortality occur because AIDS causes the deaths of adults and children. The effects on fertility are indirect and less well understood. The dependency situation is adversely affected in other ways. AIDS increases the number of widows and widowers; when parents and their services are left in the care of grandparents and/or other members of the extended family or community. The individual patient, the community and society as a whole can address these challenges by lessons learned from past success and failures in disease control and the promotion of preventive measures to combat existing, evolving and re-emerging health threats and risks. However, addressing present and anticipated health problems in a complex world with great inequalities with specific targets would help to achieve higher standards of health and a more just and socially responsible distribution of resources. In conclusion, HIV/AIDS affects the targeted population of U. S. Black/African American. 1 in 6 (15. 8) are unaware of their infection. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men particular young African Americans are mostly affected by this virus. The AIDS virus has affected the health care market tremendously; causing an expansion in Medicaid, medical use and increase in drug and prescription costs. By expanding Medicaid, eliminating co-payments for services like HIV testing and providing HIV medication coverage, the health care act will improve better care available to HIV/AIDS patients.