Global Health Issue

Running Head : Global Health Issue

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The fight against HIV /AID in Brazil has been highlighted as the most successful . It is a multi-pronged approach bringing together the government , the civil society and the public that is not inhibited by social or ethical sentiments . The first case of HIV /AIDS in Brazil was reported in 1982 . The disease spread rapidly to reach epidemic status and in 1990 , the World Bank report predicted he HIV /AIDS cases to hit 1 .2million by the year 2000

. Initially , HIV /AIDS was more prevalent among gay men and injecting drug users (IDUs ) rather than among heterosexuals and women . In fact there were 28 . men with HIV /AIDS in 1985 for every infected woman . However with time , women-men sexual relationship became the main means of spreading the disease and the ratio stood at about 2 : 1 by 2002 . However among the teens the ratio is 1 :1 . Women are increasingly getting injected because of cultural and physical disadvantages exposing them more to the disease (Levi , Guido Carlos , 2002

The Brazilian government realized quite early the threat posed by the diseases and set up the National AIDS Control Program in 1986 . Under the stewardship of the National AIDS Control Committee initiated measures to curb the spread of the epidemic . The program concentrated on studying the disease and offering limited medication . It also carried out public educative campaigns on how to stay free from STDs and how to interact with those living with the diseases . However , the disease continued to spread of the due to inadequate funding there were 10 ,000 reported cases in 1990 . Concerted government effort coupled with donor support managed to mitigate the spread over the next 10 years . In 1992 , the NACP was restructured to create a holistic approach to fighting the epidemic . It meant that rather than the fight being exclusively by professional medical personnel , it would include all the government sectors as well as collaborating with the all socio-political groupings and international community . AIDS Project I was established with US 160 million loan from the WB and US 90 million locally sourced running from 1992 to 1998 . Another program known as AIDS project II was established running from 1998-2002 receiving 300 million in funding (Levi , Guido , Carlos , 2002

The government effort has mainly been on provision of free anti-retroviral drugs (ARVS ) a program initiated in 1996 . It set up the ART Support Committee to oversee the provision of the drugs to all the infected cases and issue guidelines for the program . The drugs are mainly protease inhibitors that are more effective in boosting life expectancy among the users . A program on condoms was also under taken to encourage their use through public campaigns , price reduction and free dispensation to the general public . In effect , condom use rose from 4 in 1986 to 48 in 1999 among people having their first sexual intercourse . The AIDS campaign also focused on HIV transmission among IDUs who were urged not to...