Description
This paper has to be on the outline which is posted below. The paper can range from 15-20 pages with half inch margins (including references/bibliography).Papers with greater quality and depth will earn more points.The grading rubric for the extra credit paper is provided below. This is an extra credit paper, it should be well written.
Unformatted Attachment Preview
Purchase answer to see full attachment
Explanation & Answer
Attached.
Running head: BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTORS FOR HIV INFECTION
Behavioral Risk Factors for HIV Infection
Name
Institution
Class
Date
1
BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTORS FOR HIV INFECTION
2
The population at risk of HIV
Every individual is at risk of contracting HIV even though men who have sex with fellow
men, children during birth and injection drug users (IDU) at a higher risk of contracting the
virus. IDUs area at a much higher risk according to National Institute on Drug Abuse (2012)
while others can protect themselves through practicing safe sex and the mother can protect the
baby through prior testing and restraining from breastfeeding if they are positive. National
Institute on Drug Abuse (2012) has also indicated that even though everyone can have HIV aids,
there are those that are considered more vulnerable as discussed herein.
Men who have sex with fellow men: The gay people, the bisexual MSM and the like are the ones
that are profoundly affected. In the U.S. MSM makeup, only a population of 2percent of the total
U.S. Population and yet about two-thirds of all the new infections are found to occur among this
particular group (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2012). In 2009 and 2008 for instance, half of
the total population of HIV infected persons were MSM. National Institute on Drug Abuse
(2012) adds that the MSM in the minority population is at a much higher risk National Institute
on Drug Abuse (2012).
The other group is the injection drug users (IDU) which in many cases has formed onethird of AIDS cases within the U.S. This population is at a high risk because between 1994 and
2000 new HIV infection cases had this population amounting to 20percent and in 210, this
population formed 8 percent of all the new cases of HIV infection in the U.S. Even though the
figures have reduced over the past years, the community is still at risk. National Institute on Drug
Abuse (2012) adds that the population is at risk because in 2009 for instance, about a half of this
population was not aware that they were HIV positive.
BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTORS FOR HIV INFECTION
3
One-quarter of the women who are heterosexuals who had come to contact with HIV
positive partner formed the population of newly infected persons according to the 2010 study by
National Institute on Drug Abuse. Many of the heterosexual women who contracted the virus
were found among the minority communities. National Institute on Drug Abuse (2012) clarifies,
however, that there have been increased changes in the regional variation of HIV incidences
among women because, in the earlier years when HIV was still a new epidemic, the impact of
women having HIV was higher among those in the Northeast even though, lately infection and
mortality rates among women has increased in the Southern U.S. In the past years, cases of
women contracting HIV due to injection drug use has reduced, but still it is making up for 14
percent of cases of HIV contraction among the women. For example, a study conducted by the
Massachusetts Department of Public Health revealed that women from the White population had
40percent of them contracting the virus through injection drug use. Furthermore, the same study
indicated that trauma as a result of physical and sexual abuse and other forms of violence at
childhood is the reason for increased HIV infections and poor health outcome among the women
have the virus. As such, mental health services are essential for this population during the
process of HIV management.
As for the ethnic minorities, the rates if new HIV infections are disproportionate since the
African Americans, for instance, account for the higher proportion. Moreover, there are specific
risks for specific populations among particular minority groups. Sixty-four percent of cases of
HIV infections were found to be MSM men of the minority communities. Furthermore, the
young men aged between 13years and 24 years had increased cases of HIV infections amounting
to 53 percent. All these groups were studied between 2006 and 2009 according to (*).
BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTORS FOR HIV INFECTION
4
Finally, the young people are also at risk of HIV infection because almost ten thousand
young people aged between 13 and 24 years were diagnosed with HIV in 2010 alone. This was
twenty percent of newly diagnosed HIV cases. The highest rate of this infections occurred
among people who are aged between twenty years and twenty-four years. These groups have
been found to be infected at a higher rate due to risky sexual behaviors such as sexual
experimentation and drug abuse. All these behaviors are influences from peer pressure.
Transmission of the HIV
There are many myths that people have developed regarding how HIV is transmitted
even though, Catania, Kegeles and Coates (1990)states that getting the facts right can be a
beginning of making people aware of the virus so that they can act appropriately to reduce the
increased cases of new infections. There are specific body fluids that have been discussed by
Fisher and Fisher (2000) that are responsible for transmission of HIV. The first is blood, vaginal
fluids, semen, rectal fluids, pre-seminal fluids, and breast milk. HIV spread in the U.S. is
commonly happening through unprotected sexual intercourse with a person who is infected. In a
nutshell, the spread is through unprotected sex. In cases where sexual partners are HIV negative,
receptive anal sex (bottoming) can be a risk factor, and insertive anal sex (topping) can also be a
cause for transmission of HIV. Either partner during sexual intercourse can contract HIV through
virginal sex though this sexual act has lesser risks compared to receptive anal sex.
Sharp objects can lead to infection. In this case, when individuals share needles, syringes,
sharing rinse water and other sharp work equipment can lead transmission of HIV from infected
persons to uninfected persons. Fisher and Fisher (2000) caution that HIV can live in a used
needle of syringes for up to 42 days depending on the temperatures and other prevailing factors.
BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTORS FOR HIV INFECTION
5
HIV can also be spread from a mother to her child. During pregnancy transmission of HIV from
the mother to the child is...