Reference no: EM133481759

Global health issue that contemporarily affects the health community on an international level is HIV, affecting continents prevalently (Green, 2018). This viral disease is one of the leading causes of death across the world, damaging the immune system, which then can progress into AIDS. HIV is fully preventable with the use of effective antiretroviral treatment between mother and child and between sexual partners. Condoms are also a tool to prevent HIV, as well as male circumcision in high-risk countries and proper needle usage in populations of people who may inject drugs (World Health Organization, 2023). Antiretroviral therapy, or ART, can be used to ensure those affected by HIV continue to live healthy lives, and overall reduce the transmission across the population.

While there is no cure for HIV or AIDS, there is care, treatment, and prevention that can be effective in those at high risk of obtaining HIV. However, there are a lot of individuals who are not profiting from the scientific advancements we have made in the study of this disease due to an unrelenting amount of stigma and discrimination (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023). One of the first steps healthcare delivery systems can take is to reduce and eliminate the stigma that is attached to this illness, providing proper education amongst all communities about symptoms, treatment, prevalence, and other facts and statistics, increasing the overall amount of people seeking and utilizing resources for their HIV/AIDS.