Epidemiology (HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Hepatitis B)

Introduction

The healthy people 2020 initiative strives to provide a sustainable long-term health for the citizens of the nation by trying to enhance the health of every individual in the country by the year 2020 through different interventions. Communicable diseases have been a concern that seeks proper control and treatment based on how fast they can spread and affect the entire community. The initiative, therefore, helps to protect people from the infectious diseases and promote good health for different individuals across the nation.

HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Hepatitis B are some of the communicable diseases that have created adverse effects in the community following high mortality rates because of these illnesses. HIV is an incurable virus that affects the immune system of individuals weakening them and making them vulnerable to AIDS, which is the advanced stage of the HIV infections. Miami was ranked second in the nation when it comes to the HIV/AIDS infection (Iannelli, 2016). It is important to note that the rank that has been persistent in this city for more than five years. Consequently, it means that HIV/AIDS is a communicable disease that requires attention. The disease spreads by specific body fluids such as the blood and the semen from an individual infected with the virus. Blood tests or the ELISA tests (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) are the primary ways that the health practitioners can identify if a person is HIV positive or negative.

An epidemiological and surveillance data concerning the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Miami shows that for every 100,000 residents in the city, there are approximately 42.8 infections of this virus (Iannelli, 2016). The good thing is that the healthy people 2020 initiative has an action plan for this communicable disease. The goals of the healthy people 2020 in regards to HIV/AIDS is to reduce new infections, improve access to care so that the health outcomes of the victims can be enhanced and reducing the health inequalities and disparities related to this illness. The health initiative intends to fulfill their goals concerning HIV/AIDS through antiretroviral therapy, HIV prevention interventions, screening, and treatment of other infections that might speed up the effect of the virus.

On the contrary, Tuberculosis is a communicable disease caused by bacteria that primarily affects the lungs. The infectious disease spreads through the air when an infected person sneezes or coughs. One out of ten individuals has the probability of getting the bacteria after the exposure. Sometimes the immune system of the infected person can prevent the spread of the infection from the TB victim, and the disease becomes dominant. Suppose other diseases such as HIV weaken the immune system, the bacilli become activated. The healthy people 2020 initiative aims at reducing the incident rate of TB by one case for every 100,000 individuals in a given region (Burr & Simmons, 2017). Tuberculosis is identifiable using skin tests.

Hepatitis B is yet another viral infection that is communicable and affects the liver. The virus is infectious and individuals get it from infected individuals. Statistics from different health research shows that approximately 257 million people live with the hepatitis B virus. The healthy people 2020 initiative covers this illness too considering that it is a vaccine-preventable disease. About 2000-5000, individuals die because of this communicable disease in a year despite the fact that it is preventable (ODPHP, 2017). Both Tuberculosis and the Hepatitis B are preventable, but the healthcare systems fail to utilize the available resources thoroughly and prevent the infection and spread of these diseases. Hepatitis B is also identifiable using blood tests.

These communicable diseases affect the community majorly in the sense that, millions of individuals who have the Hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS, and active tuberculosis meet their demise because of fear, misinformation, poverty, and most importantly the stigma that results. The health care system in the United States of America focuses more on the treatment of these communicable diseases rather than the promotion of good health. For this reason, there is very little information known about healthy lifestyles and prevention of the infectious diseases. The healthy people 2020 initiative affirm that vaccines for diseases like TB and Hepatitis B are the most cost-effective ways that the healthcare system can use to foster sustainable good health (ODPHP, 2017). Health education is also an effective measure towards the prevention of the communicable diseases. Communicable diseases have been a concern that seeks proper control and treatment based on how fast they can spread and affect the entire community.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the goal of the Healthy people 2020 initiative is to be to help individuals live a high-quality long life that is free of the preventable communicable illnesses. This goal is achievable by increasing health education and public awareness of these preventable infectious diseases. HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B can be prevented using protection during intercourse and occasional testing of the virus to apply the necessary control measures. The healthy people 2020-initiative aims at reducing the incident rate of TB by one case for every 100,000 individuals in a given region.

About 2000-5000, individuals die because of this communicable disease in a year despite the fact that it is preventable.

HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Hepatitis B are some of the communicable diseases that have created adverse effects in the community following high mortality rates because of these illnesses. TB and Hepatitis B are preventable through vaccines (ODPHP, 2017). Infected people can avoid the spread of TB by covering the mouth while coughing and sneezing. The healthy people 2020 initiative covers this illness too considering that it is a vaccine-preventable disease. The use of the mentioned measures can help avoid the spread of these infectious diseases and control them through treatment to acquire a healthy community. The healthy people 2020 initiative strives to provide a sustainable long-term health for the citizens of the nation by trying to enhance the health of every individual in the country by the year 2020 through different interventions. The initiative, therefore, helps to protect people from the infectious diseases and promote good health for different individuals across the nation.