Introduction
Communicable diseases are defined as ones spread from one individual to another through such ways as breathing, bodily fluids or blood contact, as well as an insect’s bite. It is crucial to report inflectional diseases to prevent their outspread among the community. The strategies of preventing communicable illnesses are included in the initiatives released by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It is also crucial to analyze the population-based communicable diseases that affect the community of the city or county. In the following paper, the infectious illnesses that affect the community of Miami, Florida (zip code 33261) will be analyzed. The review of the current initiative Healthy People 2020 will be provided as well.
Healthy People 2020 Initiative
Healthy People initiative was launched four decades ago. It supports the idea that setting goals and objectives to control the process, as well as providing scholarly-based benchmarks might motivate people to some action. The federal government and communities use this initiative as a tool of strategic management. Therefore, the major objectives and goals of Healthy People 2020 initiative include such aspects as obtaining higher quality and length of life by avoiding preventable diseases, decreasing the number of premature deaths, and eliminating disparities in providing health care. It encourages one to create a positive social environment for promoting a healthy way of life through all the stages of an individual’s lifecycle.
Epidemiological and Surveillance Data of Miami Public Health Department
This initiative includes a set of top-priority areas representing serious threats to the health of the nation. These areas have specific leading health indicators. Thus, the area of access to health services consists of such indicators as people with medical insurance and people with the ordinary primary care provider. Some other indicators in other areas are suicides, homicides, air quality index for the environmental quality area, infant deaths and preterm births, obese adults and children, people with chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes, and people with tobacco, alcohol or drug addiction.
Three Communicable Illnesses Affecting the Community
The surveillance and epidemiological data related to communicable illnesses in Miami can be identified with the assistance of the report published monthly by Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County. According to this report, the level of sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS, infectious syphilis, and gonorrhea is rather high in the community. There have been cases of such infectious diseases as pertussis, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B. Five cases of malaria are reported as well (“Miami-Dade County monthly report: Select reportable disease/conditions,” 2017).
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, there are about twenty million new infections caused by sexually transmitted diseases annually, mostly among young adults and adolescents (“Sexually Transmitted Diseases,” 2018). The spread of these diseases is usually caused by economic, behavioral, and social factors. The community of Miami seems to be affected by such diseases as AIDS, infectious syphilis, and gonorrhea.
Gonorrhea affects both men and women and may cause infections in throat, rectum, and genitals. It is emphasized that although the majority of gonorrhea cases are reported, its incidence is “is difficult to estimate because most infections are asymptomatic and are therefore never diagnosed” (LeFevre, 2014, p. 903). It is a general opinion that screening tests can detect gonorrhea accurately. The early detection of it increases the effectiveness of treatment by antibiotics. It is believed that the high level of morbidity is usually caused by an untreated infection.
Syphilis is a result of infection by Treponema pallidum bacteria and is spread by the sexual contact of any type. It is stated that “syphilis infection of the central nervous system (neurosyphilis) can occur at any stage of disease and can result in blindness, paresis, tabes dorsalis, and dementia” (Bibbins-Domingo et al., 2016, p. 2321). It also increases the possibility to acquire HIV infection. Syphilis can be detected by numerous screenings. Early treatment with antibiotics is beneficial for the health of an individual.
The acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is caused by infection with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). The initial infection may be unnoticed as it has no symptoms or it looks like a light form of the influenza-like disease. It is stated that according to CDC in 2011 “an estimated 1.2 million individuals were living with HIV in the United States” (Menchine, Zhou, Lotfipour, & Chakravarthy, 2016, p. 135). Nowadays, there are certain advances in the treatment of HIV, which is recognized to be effective. Still, it is crucial to test and diagnose HIV timely. Still, many people tend to avoid HIV testing and informing. National HIV/AIDS strategy includes such aspects as reducing the number of individuals infected by HIV and increasing the access to medical care for individuals living with HIV, as well as avoid health care disparities.
Healthy People 2020 initiative suggests such measures of prevention of sexually transmitted diseases as timely treatment of infected individuals and their partners and collecting data on behavioral and demographic variables. It is also advisable to innovate communication strategies, which is important to proceed the cases of disparities, facilitate the vaccine usage, and normalize sexual health. To leverage the number of new cases, it is crucial to coordinate the efforts of prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.
Conclusion
The paper dealt with the analysis of such communicable illnesses as gonorrhea, syphilis, and AIDS. The main national strategies were defined according to Healthy People 2020 initiative. The review of the initiative was conducted as well.
References
Bibbins-Domingo, K., Grossman, D. C., Curry, S. J., Davidson, K. W., Epling, J. W., García, F. A.,… Kurth, A. E. (2016). Screening for syphilis infection in nonpregnant adults and adolescents: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Journal of American Medical Association, 315(21), 2321-2327.
LeFevre, M. L. (2014). Screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Annals of Internal Medicine, 161(12), 902-910.
Menchine, M., Zhou, M., Lotfipour, S., & Chakravarthy, B. (2016). Moving beyond screening: How emergency departments can help extinguish the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 17(2), 135.
Miami-Dade County monthly report: Select reportable disease/conditions. (2017). Epi Monthly Report, 18(12), 1-4.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases. (2018). Web.