AIDS Advocacy: What Is It?

As we often reiterate on discussmed.org, advocacy in the medical field takes many forms and is integral to the medical field. This organization was created to assist the youth population in finding advocacy opportunities and garnering an interest in advocacy. Advocacy can take the form of encouraging research efforts, lobbying for legislation, creating fundraisers, raising awareness, etc. Advocacy is a term that you define as there are so many ways to take part in it. In this blog, we will explain why advocacy in the fight against HIV/AIDS is so important.

While 85% of Americans who have HIV/AIDs, are being adequately treated, many younger Americans are still not being treated. In fact, only an estimated 13% of Americans under 18 who have HIV are receiving medications and interventions to keep it under control. Additionally, an estimated over 50% of Americans 18-24 are not receiving treatments to keep HIV under control. These statistics suggest that while many older Americans are being adequately treated for HIV, there is either a lack of awareness or acceptance among younger Americans. It is essential that these people get the necessary interventions as once HIV becomes AIDS, it is very serious as it often leads to death over time and destroys one’s immune response.

Here is where advocacy comes in. Advocacy can take the form of creating informationals and a social media campaign to educate the younger generations about HIV/AIDS. Advocacy can take the form of running a community event to show solidarity, awareness, and acceptance for those with HIV/AIDS. As you can see, on this specific issue, there are so many ways advocacy can be used to help mitigate it.

While there are helpful treatments developed which are greatly reducing the mortality rate and development of AIDS, more research is still needed to eventually develop a cure rather than just slow down the disease’s progression.

Once again, advocacy is helpful. Advocacy can be lobbying your state or national legislators to allocate more money to go to HIV/AIDS research. Advocacy can be creating a fundraiser and donating all money raised to HIV/AIDS research.

Once again, I hope you are getting the point-- advocacy is essential and helps the fight against various diseases in many different avenues and that is why this organization is focused at increasing advocacy efforts in medicine in the generation currently with the most apathy-- the youth.