Emergence of HIV and Drug Policy Ireland and Europe Essay

Emergence of HIV and Drug Policy Ireland and Europe - Essay Example In the year 2009, the number of new HIV positive cases was 395. Along with that, the total number of persons who have tested positive for HIV, in Ireland, stood at 5,637. It is also being estimated that, in that very year (2009), the total amount spent in the region (Ireland) spent towards HIV and several other communicable ailments was a staggering â‚ ¬114 million. This is way higher than the funds that have been allotted towards the same purpose, in countries such as Japan and Italy. (1) In the year 2009, there were two deaths that are directly attributable to HIV, and along with this, the total number of people who have died as result of AIDS, in Ireland, increased to 414. (1) At this juncture, a vital fact warrants special mention. Prior to the year 1985, HIV was not considered as that serious an ailment, by the Irish people. But in that year something happened, bringing about a drastic transformation in the manner in which the populace of Ireland viewed HIV. It was in the Oct ober of 1985 that the immensely popular actor, Rock Hudson, succumbed to HIV. That in fact was the first instance of Ireland where, the life of a celebrity was cut short by this deadly condition. It was only since then that the country’s people started to comprehend the seriousness of AIDS. For about the past two decades, the rise in incidence of HIV has tremendously influenced the drug policy of Ireland, as is the case with many other zones of the globe. The drug policy is based on the key objective of successfully combating the menace of wrong use of drugs. This in fact is amongst the primary causes of HIV in the country. The drug policy is being designed so as to be conducive for bringing out strategies that encourage community participation. Also, the policy strives to educate the citizens about the manner in which the risks of contracting HIV can be significantly minimized. (2) The aforesaid strategies are also aimed at enabling coordination amongst various health agenci es that are toiling in the realm. The drug policy was successful in identifying some zones of Ireland where, the residents are with limited economic strength. It was seen that, in these locations, the menace of drug abuse is rampant, and this invariably has a higher risk of HIV, as its inevitable consequence. The drug policy aims to form specialized task forces for implementing the strategies, in these zones. As a matter of fact, some sections of the Irish Society strongly opine that, a drug policy would be displaying comprehensive success, only if it is developed in such a way that it can easily be linked with other policies of the government, in the avenue of housing, employment and education, to cite a few. (2) It was felt that if the drug policy, instead of getting linked with all the above-mentioned policies, concentrates solely on altering the behavioral patterns of specified persons, key issues such as poverty and unemployment, etc, cannot be successfully addressed. In fact, it was also noted that the policy is now adopting a holistic approach for addressing the all-important issues. (2) Role of National Aids Strategy Committee Various NGOs that were also inclusive of drug agencies first started to work in the avenue of HIV, when people utilizing their services became HIV positive. These NGOs have meets at specified