Free Paper Sample on Understanding HIV Prevalence in Botswana: Essential for Prevention Measures

Introduction

Despite the awareness of HIV prevalence and transmission, the epidemic is established in the general population. The most affected persons are women, and in particular, young ones.

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Understanding HIV prevalence in Botswana is essential to allow for the development of preventive measures. Failure to address HIV in Botswana would exacerbate the rate of infections leading to death. Death of an income earner would increase poverty levels in the country. HIV is one of the major health issues in Botswana that would require urgent intervention.

HIV Prevalence in Botswana

According to Kandala et al. (2012), one in three adults in Botswana is infected with HIV/Aids. The prevalence of HIV among males and females between the ages of 15 and 49 years is6.7% (Kandala et al., 2012). Consequently, HIV prevalence among males and females in the country is 18.9% and 28.9%, respectively (Kandala et al., 2012).

Social Determinants

Various factors influence the rampant spread of HIV in Botswana. The elements include women's position in society and their lack of power in determining and negotiating social interactions (Fox, 2010). Other determinants are immigration patterns and attitudes towards infertility.

Comparison of HIV in Botswana and the United States

In the United States, about 1.1 million people living with HIV (Kenya et al., 2011). About one in seven people in the USA have HIV than the one in three adults in Botswana who have HIV (Kenya et al., 2011). The size of the epidemic is relatively small in the USA, considering that the country has a high population. In America, men are mostly affected by the epidemic as opposed to females. HIV in the USA is prevalent among gay men, black African males, and Latino/Hispanic males (Kenya et al., 2011).

Interventions That Address HIV/AIDS

The first intervention is women empowerment. As mentioned, women are mostly affected by the epidemic since they lack power and authority in making sex-related decisions. Empowering them would give them the authority that would allow them to make decisions that they deem fit for themselves and health (Marukutira et al., 2019). Creating awareness of the prevalence and transmission processes of HIV is another intervention.

The Connection Between Social Determinants of Health, HIV, and Intervention

The intervention of empowering women is connected to the social issue of women's lack of power and authority in sex-related issues, which leads to the continued spread of the virus. Creating awareness is an intervention related to other social issues leading to high HIV rates in Botswana that include immigration patterns and attitudes of the people.

Conclusion

HIV is a health issue facing the people in Botswana. Factors contributing to the disease's spread include the lower position of the women in society, attitudes towards the disease, and immigration patterns. The interventions proposed are creating awareness and empowering women. The two measures will be a success in solving the health challenge.

Creating awareness will encourage individuals to change their perceptions and take precautions in preventing new infections. Empowering women will allow them to discuss and air their preferences regarding sexual relations.

References

Fox, A. M. (2010). The social determinants of HIV Serostatus in Sub-Saharan Africa: An inverse relationship between poverty and HIV? Public Health Reports, 125(4_suppl), 16–24.
https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549101250s405

Kandala, N.-B., Campbell, Rakgoasi, & Madi. (2012). The geography of HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Botswana. HIV/AIDS - Research and Palliative Care, 95.
https://doi.org/10.2147/hiv.s30537

Kenya, S., Chida, N., Symes, S., & Shor-Posner, G. (2011). Can community health workers improve adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy in the USA? A review of the literature. HIV Medicine, 12(9), 525–534. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-1293.2011.00921.x

Marukutira, T., Block, L., Alwano, M. G., Behel, S., Jarvis, J. N., Chakalisa, U., Powis, K., Novitsky, V., Bapati, W., Wang, H., Ussery, F., Lebelonyane, R., Mills, L. A., Moore, J., & Bachanas, P. (2019). Comparison of knowledge of HIV status and treatment coverage between non-citizens and citizens: Botswana Combination Prevention Project (BCPP). PLOS ONE, 14(8), e0221629.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221629