HIV-AIDS Cure News 2017: Needle Program Should Reduce Risk of Outbreaks
The fight against HIV and AIDS is still an ongoing battle. Countless health officials and private sectors worldwide are working long and hard to find a cure. For now, local governments can only hope to reduce new infections through preventive measures.
Before anything else, awareness is anyone's best protection against HIV. Although sexual transmission still accounts for the larger percentage of new infections, the spread of HIV through intravenous drug use continues to rise.
Regions that have a high rate of addiction are vulnerable to an epidemic. In 2015, Scott County, Indiana saw 181 HIV positive residents who shared needles to inject opioids, which is a devastating blow to local governments.
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"We're talking about budget deficits (in West Virginia) and talking about if we can cut this entire program and save $20 million. What would a $100 million epidemic do to our economy?" Dr. Michael Kilkenny of the Cabell-Huntington Health Department said. "We all share the cost of an outbreak like that, whether it's through private insurance or through Medicaid."
Health officials deemed that a needle-exchange program is necessary not only to reduce the risk of an outbreak but to keep HIV as well as hepatitis C at bay.
This harm reduction program has been implemented in Cabell County. More programs such as this are underway in other counties within West Virginia.
Although HIV and AIDS are often used by the media interchangeably, the two actually represent different stages of the disease. For starters, HIV and AIDS are caused by the same human immunodeficiency virus.
HIV causes flu-like symptoms over a short period of time. After the acute infection, infected individuals may not feel symptoms for years. If left untreated HIV could cause enough damage to one's immune system, and it could turn into AIDS, the final stage of the infection.
Once the infection progresses, life expectancy drops. Although there is still no cure for the disease, patients are recommended Antiretroviral therapy to reduce the amount of the virus in the body. In turn, a person could live for years without feeling sick.
