Introduction
The health of the nation is a prominent issue, which the United States needs to deal with nowadays. One of the most difficult problems is preventing the spread of communicable diseases. Many infections are hard to control, and different measures are taken to stop their dissemination. There are several widespread illnesses, which cause severe outcomes. These are influenza, AIDS and hepatitis. Thousands of people in Florida suffer from different medical conditions caused by these infections. The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of a current situation in Miami, Florida (33018) related to this issue and to suggest a plan of action to improve the outcomes of a health program.
Communicable illnesses
Influenza is a viral infection affecting a large number of people. It was reported that between 15% and 40% of the population develop this illness every year (“Influenza,” 2017). About 36,000 patients per year in the United States die from influenza, and about 114,000 – need to be hospitalized (“Influenza,” 2017). Four outbreaks of influenza and influenza-like illnesses have taken place in Florida for the last year (“Influenza,” 2017). According to Rubino et al. (2017), “This is the largest number of outbreaks reported in the past seven influenza seasons” (p. 2). The information considering respiratory viruses is obtained from National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System and electronic laboratory reporting every week in Florida (Rubino et al., 2017). Also, the data is retrieved from other organizations and systems like the Bureau of Vital Statistics and the Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-based Epidemics (Rubino et al., 2017). Statistics show that flu is becoming more prevalent in Florida especially among children, pregnant women and older people (“Florida health in Miami-Dade County urges vaccination as flu season intensifies,” 2017). That is identified by an increasing number of visits to medical departments.
There are several approaches that might be applied to improve the situation. Firstly, vaccination gives positive results if done appropriately. That is a safe and effective method to prevent the disease. Hence, it is very important to implement universal immunization. Modern vaccines are not contraindicated in pregnant women and children aged over six months. Another essential measure is hygiene. Cleaning the house and workplace, particularly areas and surfaces, which people have frequent contact, decreases the risk of contamination. Hand-washing is also a habit, which prevents the spread of infection. The use of a handkerchief while sneezing and coughing should not be ignored as the virus is usually spread via airborne transmission. Finally, health education is a crucial component of the set of measures aimed to improve health-related quality of life. Simple and practical recommendations should be broadcast on television and radio. Also, social networks are another important way to pass information to a wide audience.
AIDS has a huge impact on modern society. Millions of people are diagnosed with HIV, which is a virus causing this medical condition. Over 10,000 cases have been registered in Florida for the last three years (“Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County HIV/AIDS surveillance HIV cases diagnosed from 2013 to 2015,” 2017). The total number of persons living with HIV in Florida in 2016 was 114,772, and more than 75,000 of them are retained in care (“HIV/AIDS surveillance program guides public health services,” 2017). These figures are monitored and analyzed by Florida Community Health Assessment Resource Tool Set. Black people in Florida die from AIDS more often than people from other ethnic groups. It is important to note that “In Florida, approximately 1 in 58 non-Hispanic black males and 1 in 83 non-Hispanic black females live with the HIV or AIDS” (“Florida’s minority HIV/AIDS initiatives HIV/AIDS and hepatitis program,” 2017, para. 1). The incidence of this infection among white people is much less. The concern about the dissemination of the human immunodeficiency virus is getting higher. The monitoring of HIV-diagnosed persons reveals an ominous trend. Hence, certain measures have to be taken.
A range of actions might be applied to solve the problem. One of the opportunities for changing the situation is establishing an insurance program. AIDS treatment demands a lot of time and resources. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the access to medical care for a low-income community. Properly treated HIV is less likely to cause serious harm. Many patients live with this diagnosis for tens of years. However, the medicine is not affordable for most affected. Investments in this area are a prominent factor preventing one of the most severe sexually transmitted diseases. Another important measure is promoting health literacy. It might be implemented in different forms. One of them is organizing meetings to provide people with necessary information considering their sexual behavior. Knowledge about HIV prevention and transmission plays the main role in creating a society free from this disease.
Another disease, which is spread globally, is hepatitis. This is a viral disease affecting the liver tissue. Viruses causing hepatitis are divided into several types. Types A, B and C are the most common. Some are transmitted sexually and some by contaminated food and water. About 47,000 residents in Miami-Dade County are affected by this infection (“Hepatitis program,” 2017). However, this virus might live in a body without showing any symptoms. Hence, the real number of infected is much higher. Hepatitis screening identifies the virus, and then a patient is provided with counseling and referral. All hepatitis cases are reported to Epidemiology, Disease Control and Immunization Services (“Hepatitis program,” 2017).
Preventive measures should be taken methodically. First, a system that monitors and controls the spread of disease should be established. Each patient has to undergo an individual process of a thorough investigation. That should involve a variety of organizations, which provide different services. Second, vaccination effectively works with types A and B hepatitis. It is worth mentioning that a big part of infected individuals is homeless. Hence, immunization should also be focused on this social group. Another community deserves special attention as well. These are prisoners. The inmate population has to undergo vaccination to prevent the transmission of the infection within the County. Finally, the lack of awareness of hepatitis contributes to its dissemination. Educational materials need to be passed around to increase the level of knowledge for the general public in this particular area.
Conclusion
There is no question that described above problems are of great importance to the welfare of society. Among the different goals mentioned on Healthy People 2020, improving health-related quality of life is the most general, though outstanding. Issues related to influenza, hepatitis and AIDS were chosen to be analyzed due to the significant impact they have on our lives. These infections are spread throughout the world, and it is a substantial task to decrease their dissemination. The above analysis and the plan of action correspond to the priorities of governmental agencies considering health promotion.
References
Florida Health in Miami-Dade County urges vaccination as flu season intensifies. (2017). Web.
Florida’s minority HIV/AIDS initiatives HIV/AIDS and hepatitis program. (2017). Web.
Hepatitis program. (2017).
HIV/AIDS surveillance program guides public health services. (2017). Web.
Influenza. (2017).
Rubino, H., Munroe, J., Mtenga, M., Kendrick, K., Heberlein-Larson, L., Mock, V.,… Eisenstein, L. (2017). The Florida review. Web.