Advantages And Disadvantages Of Hiv/Aids
In the world there are 35 million people living with HIV/AIDS, of these, 24.7 million are in
sub–Saharan Africa; making this region the most affected by the disease, as it hosts 71% of the
entire HIV/AIDS population (ss9). Although there is still no cure for HIV/AIDS, some treatments,
such as antiretroviral treatment (ART), can treat some of its symptoms. This drug, however, is not
available to all; sub–saharan countries, in fact, are not always able to provide sufficient health care
to their entire population, and therefore are not able to make ART accessible to all. Accessibility to
health care is particularly problematic in rural areas, where contracting HIV/AIDS will most likely
be a death sentence for the people infected and a put a strain...show more content...
Here, researchers define two types of intervention approaches: accommodating versus transformative.
In the case of HIV/AIDS, accommodating programs would work around the existing culture
supporting stigma, without, addressing the systems that contribute to the stigmatization of HIV
/AIDS. Transformative programs, on the other hand, would include policies and tools seeking at
transforming stigma by promoting acceptance and knowledge. This kind of approach would attempt
to promote HIV/AIDS prevention by: fostering critical examination of stigmatization, recognizing
and strengthening positive norms that support an enabling HIV/AIDS environment, by transforming
the underlying social structures, policies and broadly held social norms that perpetuate stigma, risky
sexual behavior, patriarchy (ss11). Therefore, in order for HIV/AIDS intervention programs to be
truly effective and sustained in the long run, they need to follow the guidelines of transformative
programs. The structure of transformative programs reinforces the idea that the mere giving
information may not always be a viable solution, as the context in which the information is given my
hinder its retention. An example of such effect can be drawn by examining one of the main
intervention programs aimed at HIV/AIDS prevention: condom distribution (ss9). Increase in
condom distribution in some areas, for example, is not always equal to increase in use (ss9). The
mere handling of condom would answer to accommodating programs; transformative program; on
the other hand, would make handling of condoms a participatory and interactive event which's aim
would be trying to tackle the underlying association of condoms with mistrust, infidelity and lack of
communication between the sexes (ss3). This example, together with the research on which it is
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