The World Health Organization (WHO) says some 35 million people were infected by Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and HIV worldwide in 2013, more than 3 million of whom were children below 15 years old.  About 1.5 million died because of AIDS during the same year. In fact AIDS and HIV are deemed as the deadliest plagues over time.

 

Endemic effects of AIDS have affected all aspects of human life with overwhelming results. It continues to inflict encumbrances on individuals, households, communities, and countries especially less-developed nations. AIDS/HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) attacks a person’s human immune system directly and weakens natural defenses of the body slowly.

 

It is true that substantial progress has been made in the global fight against AIDS but the consequences were really dreadful. More than one million people die of AIDS every year while another two million are infected annually.

 

USAID Program

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been at the vanguard of the campaign against the AIDS crisis worldwide since the late eighties. At present, this agency collaborates with governments and the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This is the biggest and most diverse HIV and AIDS prevention, care and treatment effort globally.

 

With the help of PEPFAR, the USAID and its other partners have achieved milestones in the effort versus AIDS and HIV. It has provided lifesaving assistance treatment for nearly 8 million as well as counseling/testing for over 56 million infected persons worldwide. It has reached out to approximately 17 million persons for care/support services which include five million children. Many of these are orphans.

 

The USAID has delved into the major action programs of the PEPFAR. According to the Agency, this includes the following:

µ     Impact Action or allocation of resources to control the outbreak

µ     Efficiency Action or saving human lives by means of appropriate investments

µ     Sustainability Action or collective responsibility and proper coordination with host nations

µ     Partnership Action or collaborating with partners to attain a generation that is free from AIDS

µ     Human Rights Action or promotion and protection of human rights

 

Meanwhile, the United Nations AIDS or UNAIDS is also active in its campaign against the disease. It was one of the leading proponents of World AIDS Day (2014) which harnessed the dominance of social transformation to close the disparity between people with access to the prevention, treatment, attention, and support with other people who have been left behind. The UNAIDS projected that around $32 billion will be needed for the campaign versus AIDS in 2020 and another $30 billion after 10 years or 2030.

 

There are similar anti-AIDS programs waged by the United Kingdom Consortium on AIDS and International Development. This is as alliance of over 80 principal international non-government organizations and AIDS/HIV groups based in the UK. This was launched in September of 2013.

 

Center for Disease Control and Prevention

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has expanded its HIV and AIDS care and treatment program worldwide to avert more infections and save lives. The CDC worked with PEPFAR by assisting governments in planning, implementation and evaluation of clinical services for AIDS and HIV care or treatment. Priority nations are remote regions in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia where Adult AIDS is most prevalent. These countries include South Africa, Nigeria, India, Botswana, and Swaziland.

 

The Center tries to leverage resources by linking them to different conventional healthcare services. This is an integrated method in health care that can reinforce health care systems of nations. It can also bolster deficient and timely delivery of anti-AIDS services. CDC has teamed up with government health ministries and private sector partners to make sure that treatment and care are cost-effective and get to HIV populations without delay.

 

This is done by supplying technical expertise through well-trained scientists, doctors, epidemiologists, and public health advisers. Epidemiology is considered one of the cornerstones of public health since it studies causes, effects and patterns of contagious diseases. The CDC also identifies, evaluates and replicates modern interventions. These are low-cost but high-impact techniques in delivery of services.

 

Last but not least, the CDC partners with government and private entities to make available contemporary laboratory systems for country ownership. The bottom line is to consolidate healthcare personnel in different nations with consistent training programs for doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, and counselors. Updated treatment protocols are also necessary so medical professionals will have more resources in fighting AIDS and HIV.

 

What’s next?

Funding has to be managed and allocated properly to sustain the fight against AIDS. Governments are more aggressive in the fight against this scourge and many countries now have greater access to prevention methods and services. Prevention services improved but more changes are needed especially with regards to affordability of treatment costs.