NR 443 Week 2 Discussion Question – Demographic and Epidemiologic assessment

NR 443 Week 2 Discussion Question – Demographic and Epidemiologic assessment

NR 443 Week 2 Discussion Question – Demographic and Epidemiologic assessment

An epidemiological triangle is a tool that helps researchers better understand how infectious diseases spread among people. It clarifies the intricate connections between infectious disease pathogens, their hosts, and the settings they live in. The agent is the name for the microbe that is the cause of the illness. In the context of HIV/AIDS, a virus is the infectious agent that causes the illness. The most prevalent type of the virus that can lead to HIV/AIDS is called HIV-1 (Gopalappa et al., 2017). HIV-2 is a rare virus with modest virulence with signs and symptoms similar to HIV-1. A number of HIV-related factors have an impact on the virus’s capacity to infect a host. They include virulence, also referred to as pathogenicity, and dosage. A disease-causing microorganism’s pathogenicity refers to its ability to really cause disease. The HIV virus has a high level of virulence since it can infect and spread throughout the host. A dosage is a measurement of a pathogen’s quantity or concentration (a microbe that causes sickness) (Gopalappa et al., 2017). The majority of the time, HIV is present in high concentrations, which increases its ability to infect and spread throughout the host. HIV is spread from one person to another through direct contact between hosts and infectious fluids, such as blood, vaginal secretions, or sperm.

The term “host” in the epidemiological triangle refers to the individual who is the disease’s carrier. The persons whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS are mentioned in the phrase. Numerous host variables can affect an individual’s vulnerability to HIV infection and the development of AIDS. One of them is how well one’s immune system is functioning. The risk of contracting HIV is higher in people with compromised immune systems. Viral invasion, further multiplication, and subsequent inhibition are highly likely to occur. Another element pertaining to the hosts is their unique behaviors. Sexual intercourse without protection, having a lot of sexual partners, and injecting drugs while sharing needles, among other actions, all enhance the probability of the host getting exposed to the agent (Mahdavi et al., 2021). The potential for getting pregnant is another host-related risk factor for HIV and AIDS. An greater chance of mother-to-child transmission—which can happen during delivery and breastfeeding—or mother-to-baby transmission exists for pregnant women who are infected. A person’s chance of developing HIV/AIDS is higher than it is for someone without a medical condition if they currently have one. Patients who already have comorbidities have lowered immune functioning, which enhances their sensitivity to the drug. Due to the immune system suppression brought on by traditional cancer therapies, patients are more likely to have HIV than non-cancer patients (Joas et al., 2018). Patients who are having blood transfusions and those who have been in vehicle accidents are both at danger due to their interaction with tainted fluids.

The term “environment” describes the different external factors that affect the epidemiologic epidemic. Environmental elements, in addition to the host and the infectious agent, contribute to the spread of the illness. The environmental factors that contribute to the transmission of HIV/AIDS include places with a high frequency of sexually transmitted infections and poor levels of reporting (Dumais, 2017). Situations like these promote the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Socioeconomic variables, such as poverty, also contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS since they make it harder to get the essential therapy. Another thing that deters people from enrolling in testing and treatment programs is when people with HIV/AIDS experience stigma or social isolation (Dumais, 2017). They are to blame for the increased rate of the disease’s population-wide spread as a direct result of this.

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