HIV can have significant negative effects on individuals, nations, and the world. For individuals, HIV can cause social and economic distress as well as declining health if they cannot access antiretroviral drugs. This increases the number of infected people and burdens nations. Nations must spend large amounts of money on prevention or treatment of HIV, which can lead to economic problems. Globally, HIV is considered a pandemic by the WHO and may require international cooperation to control infection rates, though rates of death from HIV are declining in most countries. However, some countries may continue to struggle with HIV if they do not promote prevention methods like sexual education and family planning.

1. Effects of HIV

2. Effect on IndividualsAn Individual affected by HIV can go through a lot, including social and economic distress, and a gradual deterioration of health.Poorer individuals with HIV may lack access to Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), which are a large factor contributing to extended lives of AIDS infected individuals.Individuals can unknowingly spread HIV if they fail to check at a health centre, contributing to the diffusion of the disease.Since women are more susceptible to contracting HIV, children are widely affected as they have a chance of contracting the disease during childbirth.This causes an increase in the population of HIV infected people, and may cause a country problems in the future as they may lack a large enough economically active class, due to the large losses in population from HIV.

3. Effect on nationA country experiencing an HIV epidemic such as South Africa must spend money on either preventative or curative measures. Both cost large amounts of money, but the latter costs more.As mentioned before, they may experience great losses in their economically active demographic as children are being born with HIV.This could lead to economic decay, which cyclically affects the nation’s ability to deal with the epidemic as they may begin to lack extra funds needed to promote preventative or curative measures.

4. Effect on WorldHIV has spread throughout the world and is considered a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO).Global consensus on dealing with HIV may be needed if viral diffusion becomes increasingly difficult to manage. However, in most countries infection rates are dropping, as are rates of death due to HIV.

5. Effect on WorldAs seen, HIV related deaths peaked at around 1995, and have decreased drastically since then.

6. Effect on WorldOverall, though HIV is considered to be a Pandemic, countries have access to contraceptives and may eventually promote sexual education and family planning, which will drastically decrease the rate of HIV death rate, as seen with the USA. If countries employ such tactics in combating HIV, the disease will become less of a problem. However, some countries, such as the Philippines, may encounter problems as they do not endorse contraceptives due to widespread Catholicism in the country and government, and may also disallow the availability of sexual education. More developed and economically stable countries may have to continue contributing to aid less well of countries in their fight against HIV, especially countries such as South Africa, which may run into financial collapse in the future.