The HIV pandemic is a growing concern worldwide. It is estimated that more than 33 million persons are infected with HIV. Of these, nearly half are women (Wagner, Hart, Mohammed, Ivanova, Wong & Loutfy 2010) despite efforts by various nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), faith-based organizations (FBOs), and respective governments to avail antiretroviral drugs to individuals living with HIV/AIDS. However, when the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and several other preventive measures were introduced in the market, there was a change in perception among the population that the illness was not as fatal as once feared but rather, a chronic illness that could be managed like say, type 2 diabetes mellitus. The change in perception has largely been informed by advances in new methods of prolonging the lives of patients. The use of protective methods such as condoms helps to overcome undesirable consequences associated with sex such as unplanned conception and HIV infection. Nonetheless, the sexually active generation (who are mainly the youth) rarely use condoms and this could perhaps explain the high prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS among the population. This is one of the major challenges faced by the relevant authorities in trying to reduce the levels of HIV infection in the UK. Other challenges involved include exposure of age-related diseases (such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease) to HIV-infected patients and less knowledge or awareness among the people.
Although HIV/AIDS has emerged as a chronic illness, it is nonetheless a manageable illness. For example, the use of antiretroviral (ART) increases the life expectancy of the person infected by the virus. Nonetheless, there is a stigma attached to the use of drugs and this could be attributed to fear of discrimination by society. The current paper is an attempt to analyze the shift in the perception of HIV from an exception to a chronic illness and the new challenges experienced in HIV prevention in the UK.
The topic has been chosen due to the following reasons:
The essay has been inspired by the new challenges in HIV prevention such as stigma, exposure to age-related diseases, negligence in the use of condoms, and lack of adequate knowledge. This is despite the presence of highly active antiretroviral therapy for use by HIV-infected patients. HIV remains a global concern in the 21st century. For example, there are more than 33 million persons infected with HIV across the globe. HIV in the UK is high among bisexuals and gays. Given that society discriminates against this group, members find it hard to participate in HIV prevention practices. As a result, this has resulted in a major challenge in HIV prevention in the UK (McDaid & Hart 2012). According to Wagner et al. (2010), “the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), HIV has changed from a subacute and fatal infection to an important but chronic illness in the developed world (p. 208). What this means is that the introduction of HAART means that HIV is no longer perceived as a dangerous disease but rather a chronic illness.
The concept of ‘exceptionalism’ was adopted in the 1980s when AIDS was perceived and treated as an exceptional disease. At the time, AIDS was labeled as ‘exceptional’ since it was not treatable and resulted in the deaths of infected persons (Whiteside 2010). The major means of transmission included sharing of injections, men having sex with men (MSM), and unprotected sex. The affected persons were shunned by the rest of the community and any form of standard public health intervention was deemed risky as it was feared that such kind of intervention would drive the infected people away due to the stigma attached to the illness. Although mobilization was carried out to come up with new intervention methods, it was largely considered exceptional in comparison with other communicable diseases. As a result, public health officials and advocates came to an agreement that an HIV policy was vital as it would accommodate the uniqueness of the HIV epidemic (Whiteside 2010). The ‘exceptionalist alliance’ gained prominence when it receive support from gay movements who were also advocating for public health awareness and intervention as regards the HIV pandemic.
The advent of the HIV epidemic treatment through scientific research, drug
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