Name: Venessa Powell-Cooke
Course Title: Humanity 253
AIDS is described as a chronic condition which is caused by a virus known as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The cure for HIV/AIDS have4 not been discovered, however, there are medications which have the potential to slow as well as reduce the progress of the condition. These medications have reduced deaths due to HIV/AIDS in many countries. Nevertheless, HIV continues to increase in Haiti, Africa as well as parts of Asia. Empirical studies have established that over 25 million people have died of HIV/AIDs related health conditions in the whole world. For instance, according to the reports of UNAIDS, in 2009, around 2.8 million individuals were newly infected with the condition while around three million women, men, and children died of HIV/AIDS-related diseases. Currently, around 35 million individuals are living with the HIV/AIDS. It is key to note that over 26 million individuals have died due to HIV/AIDS-related illness since 1981 (UNAIDS/WHO). In Africa, there are over 15 million HIV/AIDS orphans. According to UNAIDS/WHO, in the transitional and developing nations, over 10 million individuals are in dire need of HIV/AIDS drugs, with only 5 million receiving such drugs. According to UNAIDS and the Population Reference Bureau, Haiti is the Caribbean nation that is highly affected by HIV/AIDS.
The Dominic Republic as well as Haiti, together account for over three-quarters of individuals having HIV in Latin America. High prevalence of HIV in Haiti has been attributed to poverty as well as inadequate access to information and education. The groups who were at risk of contracting HIV before 1999s included the soldiers, truck drivers, and their respective partners as well as people who migrated to the urban areas from the rural areas and the rape victims. Currently, the epidemic is fueled and generalized by the high rates of illiteracy and endemic poverty (Xu, and Lucy 10). In 2007, about 121000 individuals were living with HID/AIDS in Haiti with 6800 being children and 58000 being women aged 15 years and above. According to the Centers for Disease Control (2002), HIV risk infection among minority groups is one of the serious challenges presently confronting public health in the USA.empirical studies have shown that prevalence of HIV/AIDS among the youths is on the rise not only in the sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean countries but also in the entire globe. However, there have been empirical research studies conducted to investigate the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among the Haitian youths especially those living in the united states of America. In this paper, I will critically evaluate the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among the Haitian youths. The study will use various literatures to clearly examine the prevalence of the scourge among the Haitian youths living in the United states of America.
About 95 of the infected Haitians are children who are 14 years and below, and 74000 are women. The number of individuals in 2005 who were living with HIV/AIDS was approximated to be about 271600 which included over 11700 youths. It is estimated that approximately 33000 people die each year of HIV. The main routes of transmission for HIV include transmission through mother and a child, sexual transmission, especially by heterosexual transmission. However, HIV has currently become feminine with the ratio of male to female shifting to 1:1 from 6:1 in 2002 and 1988 respectively. It should be noted that Haiti has the highest number of HIV cases in Latin America.
Young people in the united states of America are at high risk of contracting HIV (Interchange: HIV/AIDS and U.S. History). The HIV risk infection is most notable among the youth coming from minority ethnicities and races. Therefore, continual prevention education and outreach efforts for HIV including abstinence programs as well as initiation of sex restriction should be introduced as old generations are replaced by the new generations who benefitted from the prevention strategies. In numerous developing nations, most of the HIV infections happen among individuals who are of the age between 16 and 24.
Moreover, having STDs have placed them at the risk of contracting HIV. Youths especially college going students are a high risk of HIV infection because most of them are normally sexually active as well as unmarried. High risk of HIV infection can also be attributed to behavioral, psychological, social and biological reasons. Psychological factors enable many youths at enhanced risks for STDs due to their overall sense of vulnerability, the urge to explore new things, the willingness of taking risks involving changing of sexual partners as well as the desire to impress their relatives and friends.
Most of the young people do not know that STDs result in behaviors of risk-taking. Thus, it is very difficult for the youths especially the college going students to use condoms correctly and consistently when engaging in sex. Moreover, inadequate communication, as well as negotiations skills in youths to use condoms, is very difficult. Empirical research has shown that Haitian college students are at risk of HIV infection especially through sexual transmission since almost all of them are sexually active (Rahill, Manisha, and Anthony 253). Present epidemiological data shows that HIV/AIDS affects black Americans as well as the immigrant black population in the country (Surkan et al. 810).
Moreover, officials from the federal government placed Haitian immigrants in solitary risk category indicating that that Haitian had higher infection rates as compared to other groups. More than two decades later, the National Academy of science publication stated that Haiti was the probable conduit for HIV introduction to the United States of America.
Haitian youth represent one of the groups who are vulnerable to the HIV infection. Even though the knowledge of HIV transmission is high among the college-going Haitian youths, the change in behavior has lagged. For instance, epidemiological research has revealed that among the Haitian college-going youths in the United States of America, HIV transmission is high especially through sexual transmission. Sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS can be attributed to the high rate of violence, the fact that almost every youth in the urban areas of the USA do not live together with their biological parents, drug abuse challenges, inadequate access to health care services as well as quality education and high rate of poverty levels among the Haitian community. It is interesting to note that almost all the youths who are not enrolled in schools are unemployed. Inadequate economic opportunities and the high rate of poverty will affect youths’ decision to have sex with numerous partners or to engage in a transaction or commercial sex. Most of the Haitian college-going students in the united states of America engage in transactional sex, forced into prostitution or run for survival or with gangs.
The political upheavals in Haiti have had a wide-ranging impact on the rate of violence, with youths and women affected the most. It is estimated that in 2004, over 36000 girls and women were sexually abused with half of the victims under the age of 18. Political upheavals have resulted in many Haitian populations migrating from their mother country into other countries especially North America. The social setting, thus, creates an environment in which HIV transmission among youths may escalate. A study was conducted which used a total of 13201 Haiti population. The majority of individuals in the sample population were from Northern (38%) and Southern (61%) part of the united states of America. Trends evaluation in the research revealed that diagnosis of AIDS within the Haiti born population had increased especially in the period of 1980s and 1990s, however, the research also showed that diagnosis of AIDS reduced in 2000s with about 442 diagnoses of AIDS in 2007. The result of the study shows that Haiti born persons in the country comprised of about 1.2% of the approximated cases of AIDS among the youths while Haiti born persons account for less than 0.18% of the whole united states of America population.
Economic despair or economic insecurity greatly lead to involvement in dangerous and harmful sexual behaviors among the Haitian college going students, especially among the girls. Research has shown that financial constraints and hardships lead to early sex initiations and the widespread dependence on sexual interactions for monetary support. In a study conducted in the united states of America, 10% of the females and 16% of the males who engaged in sexual activities reported having exchanged or given out money for sex. Due to the prevalence of HIV among the youths, extensive efforts in the united states of America have been initiated to educate the minority groups about HIV, how it is transmitted and how it can be avoided.
Nevertheless, there is still inadequate information and data to share with the youths. The continual following of conventional Vodou belies as well as inadequate education on HIV result in high HIV infection levels in the country. for instance, a study that was done in the country, about 50% of the Haitian population believed that HIV is transmitted through supernatural means as well as by mosquitoes. Inconsistent and incorrect use of condoms (McNairy 10), engagement of sex at an early age and numerous sexual partners are some of the reasons why effective and immediate intervention programs should be initiated not only in the united states of America but also in the Caribbean nations.
Traditions that do not openly discuss sex issues with women or girls and a belief that promotes early engagement of sex for boys are some of the factors that have led to increases in HIV infection among the Haitian youths in the united states of America (Martel and Charles 110). In most developing countries, women and girls are at a higher risk of HIV infection since they lack power, are forced into marriages and engage in sex at tender ages. It is estimated that young girls and women who are aged 16 to 19 especially in Africa and Caribbean countries have 4 to 6 times HIV infection as compared to their male counterparts of the same age. World Bank reports have established that girls are at high risk of HIV infection due to increased cases of school drop out and unemployment. Among the 16 to 19-year old Haitian youths in the rural and urban areas in the united states of America, about 8% fewer girls were in schools as compared to boys of the same. The unemployment rate among female youths is 36% higher as compared to their male counterparts, reducing the chances that females have an opportunity and chance for economic independence and self-sufficiency. Early sex debuts are rampant (Jean et al. 10) among the youths as especially the Haiti girls in the united states of America.
Internationally and domestically, HIV is a virus that is embedded in the economic and social inequality as it affects people with lower socioeconomic status at an alarming rate. Empirical studies of socioeconomic status and HIV/AIDS reveals that an individual’s social and economic standing can affect his or her probability of being infected with HIV and AIDS development. Moreover, socioeconomic status is a vital factor in establishing the quality of life for people after they have been affected by HIV. Social and economic status reveals an individual standing in the society and is normally evaluated by his or her educational attainment, income or occupation. Social and economic status is a powerful predictor of health and sickness. Individuals having lower social and economic status are highly likely to contract as well as transmit HIV to other people, maybe because they have little knowledge concerning HIV/AIDS, associate with people who are likely to suffer from HIV/AIDS and are more likely to engage in drug abuse as well as unprotected and unsafe sex to escape from stress. People are having HIV and having lower socioeconomic status die early than the people having HIV/AIDS with greater socioeconomic status due to lack of adequate medical care, expensive antiretroviral drugs and the subsequently lowered body immunity (Haacker and International Monetary Fund 1).
The socioeconomic status of the Haitian population in the united states of America is lower as compared to another majority Americans. Therefore, the college-going Haitians are at risk of HIV infection since they do not have enough money given to them by their parents, they engage in transactional and commercial sex to fund their education, they engage in drug abuse. The fact that most youths from the Haiti population do not stay with their parents have led to an increase in HIV/AIDS prevalence among the college-going Haiti students. Most of the Haiti youths lack parental care and guidance especially in sexual engagement and, thus, find themselves engaging in illicit sex at an early age.
According to recent research, it is revealed that a large proportion of Haitian women are not aware of STIs instead of HIV/AIDS. Among both sexes, youths, individuals from urban and rural areas and those who do not have formal education were the majority who have not heard of STIs. Haitians comprehend that HIV can be transmitted through sexual intercourse, yet they are not cognizant of the fact that STIs are also sexually transmitted. It is key to note that Haitians can believe that unnatural or supernatural illness cannot be transmitted to another individual. Most Haitians believe that HIV can infect a person through stepping on the persons saliva, sorcery, sharing of food, household items, and even chairs. Some even believe that HIV/AIDS cannot be prevented. Lack of adequate knowledge of HIV/AIDS and other STIs is one of the major factors leading to increased HIV infection among the youths even for the school going youths. It is important to note that for HIV/AIDS to reduced, enough and sufficient knowledge must be disseminated to the public especially those who are at risk of HIV infection (Allen, Bryan, Dany, Amanda, and Linda 681).
Conclusion
HIV/AID is one of the deadliest diseases in the world. In the united states of America, HIV infection is prevalent among the minority races and ethnicities as well as the immigrants. High risk of HIV infection among such groups can be attributed to low socioeconomic status and other vital variables. To reduce this scourge among such group especially the college students, a lot of empirical research must be conducted to understand the whole situation. Since most of the Haitian college-going students in the united states of America are exposed to quality education, they are still at risk of HIV infection (Malow, Michele, Jessy, Rhonda, and Angela 130). Concerted efforts must be employed to find ways of reducing this scourge among them.
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