For example, individuals who are denied the right to freedom of association and access to information may be precluded from discussing issues related to HIV, participating in AIDS service organizations and self-help groups, and taking other preventive measures to protect themselves from HIV infection.
Women, and particularly young women, are more vulnerable to infection if they lack of access to information, education and services necessary to ensure sexual and reproductive health and prevention of infection. The unequal status of women in the community also means that their capacity to negotiate in the context of sexual activity is severely undermined.
People living in poverty often are unable to access HIV care and treatment, including antiretrovirals and other medications for opportunistic infections. Discrimination and stigma : The rights of people living with HIV often are violated because of their presumed or known HIV status, causing them to suffer both the burden of the disease and the consequential loss of other rights. Stigmatisation and discrimination may obstruct their access to treatment and may affect their employment, housing and other rights.
This, in turn, contributes to the vulnerability of others to infection, since HIV-related stigma and discrimination discourages individuals infected with and affected by HIV from contacting health and social services. The result is that those most needing information, education and counselling will not benefit even where such services are available. Impedes an effective response : Strategies to address the epidemic are hampered in an environment where human rights are not respected.
For example, discrimination against and stigmatization of vulnerable groups such as injecting drug users, sex workers, and men who have sex with men drives these communities underground. This inhibits the ability to reach these populations with prevention efforts, and thus increases their vulnerability to HIV.
Likewise, the failure to provide access to education and information about HIV, or treatment, and care and support services further fuels the AIDS epidemic. These elements are essential components of an effective response to AIDS, which is hampered if these rights are not respected. Where individuals and communities are able to realize their rights - to education, free association, information and, most importantly, non-discrimination - the personal and societal impacts of HIV and AIDS are reduced.
Where an open and supportive environment exists for those infected with HIV; where they are protected from discrimination, treated with dignity, and provided with access to treatment, care and support; and where AIDS is de-stigmatized; individuals are more likely to seek testing in order to know their status.
In turn, those people who are HIV positive may deal with their status more effectively, by seeking and receiving treatment and psychosocial support, and by taking measures to prevent transmission to others, thus reducing the impact of HIV on themselves and on others in society.
The protection and promotion of human rights are therefore essential in preventing the spread of HIV and to mitigating the social and economic impact of the pandemic. The reasons for this are threefold.
African- Americans account for a higher proportion of HIV infections than any other population at all stages of the disease from initial infection to death see text box. Moreover, specific minority subgroups are at particular risk.
In addition, young minority men 13—24 years old had the greatest increase 53 percent of HIV infections of all groups studied between the years and , occurring predominantly in the South. The Hispanic population accounted for 1 in 5 new HIV infections in the United States in — a rate 3 times that of the White community.
A number of factors contribute to the high levels of HIV infection within this community, including the country of birth. For example, there is a substantially larger proportion of HIV infections attributed to injection drug use for Hispanic men born in Puerto Rico than anywhere else.
Such differences underscore the need for interventions that are socially and culturally tailored for specific populations. Young people are also at risk for HIV infection. Approximately 9, people aged 13—24 were diagnosed with HIV in , representing 20 percent of newly diagnosed cases, with the highest rate occurring among those aged 20— Particular HIV risk behaviors within this age group include sexual experimentation and drug abuse, which are often influenced by strong peer group relationships.
Sixteen 16 percent of new diagnoses of HIV infection in the United States in occurred among individuals over the age of 50, and this number has been increasing for the past 11 years. The problem is further exacerbated by healthcare professionals who underestimate the vulnerability of this population. The growing number of people contracting HIV later in life, combined with the prolonged survival made possible by HAART, has contributed to an increasing number of people over the age of 50 living with HIV.
Older adults progress more rapidly to AIDS, have a greater number of age-related comorbidities e. The criminal justice system is burdened with a significant population of HIV-infected individuals that can be 2 to 5 times larger than that in the surrounding community. In addition, the number of people with HIV receiving treatment in resource-poor countries has dramatically increased in the past decade and dramatic progress has been made in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV and keeping mothers alive.
However, despite the availability of a widening array of effective HIV prevention tools and methods and a massive scale-up of HIV treatment in recent years, UNAIDS cautions there has been unequal progress in reducing new HIV infections, increasing access to treatment, and ending AIDS-related deaths, with too many vulnerable people and populations left behind.
Stigma and discrimination, together with other social inequalities and exclusion, are proving to be key barriers. The U. NIH is engaged in research around the globe to understand, diagnose, treat, and prevent HIV infection and its many associated conditions, and to find a cure. Read more about the U. Content Source: HIV. Many Federal agencies have developed public awareness and education campaigns to address HIV prevention, treatment, care, and research.
Also included is information about campaigns related to the prevention and diagnosis of hepatitis B and C. El VIH es una amenaza de salud grave para las comunidades latinas, quienes se encuentran en gran desventaja respecto de la incidencia de esta enfermedad en los Estados Unidos.
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