Discussion Board (DB) 5.1

Understanding the Spread of Infectious Diseases Through Intravenous Drug Use

The connection between using drugs and the spread of diseases is a major concern for public health because of the sharing or improper sterilization of injection tools involved in the process. Injecting drugs intravenously makes it easier for bloodborne infections, like hepatitis C and HIV, to be passed along through needle reuse or sharing practices, which puts drug users at risk and adds significant pressure to healthcare systems.

Consistently, IV drug administration puts the pathogens directly into the bloodstream and, as such, is a strong channel through which infections can spread. Some diseases like hepatitis C and HIV are easily contracted in such a population since the sharing of needles is very likely to occur. For example, Hepatitis C may cause serious liver disease (King & Strony, 2023). Undeniably, the transmission of HIV through sharing needles and syringes remains a major epidemiological problem.

The occurrence of these infections among intravenous drug users poses a big strain on the public health systems worldwide. It results in the escalation of healthcare expenses, requiring a more comprehensive approach to treatment and making it difficult to diagnose and control the spread of diseases (Salam et al., 2023). Furthermore, secondary infections of these diseases have implications that entail more profound social impacts than the medication costs of the conditions.

To mitigate these risks, harm reduction strategies such as needle exchange programs are essential. These programs provide clean needles to drug users, significantly reducing the rate of infection transmission. Additionally, educational campaigns are crucial to inform drug users about the risks associated with needle sharing and to promote safer practices (Karsten, 2023).

Conclusively, the relationship between intravenous drug use and the transmission of infectious diseases emphasizes the importance of continuous public health efforts. Protecting public health requires the ongoing expansion and support of effective harm-reduction strategies to reduce these risks. These initiatives are important both for personal user health and for the wider community.

References

Karsten, M. B. (2023). A case for needle exchange programs: Not letting perfection be the enemy of the good. Georgetown Medical Review, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.52504/001c.83277

King, K. C., & Strony, R. (2023, May 1). Needlestick. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493147/

Salam, M. A., Al-Amin, M. Y., Salam, M. T., Pawar, J. S., Akhter, N., Rabaan, A. A., & Alqumber, M. A. A. (2023). Antimicrobial Resistance: A Growing Serious Threat for Global Public Health. Healthcare, 11(13), 1946. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11131946

Discussion Board (DB) 5.2

Addiction and Tuberculosis: A Public Health Challenge

Tuberculosis is on the rise in the current world, especially in addicts who have acquired drug-resistant tuberculosis. This is a complex relationship, and alcoholism complicates the treatment of TB as most TB patients do not take their medicine as prescribed, leading to drug-resistant strains. Notably, addiction interferes with the compliance that is necessary for the treatment of TB since patients with addictions usually have irregular schedules that are not healthy for them and use substances instead of seeking and receiving proper health care. Closely linked to this, erratic compliance fuels the development of drug resistance to TB, a major TCR disease and public health scourge (Maxwell et al. et al., 2023).

Consistently, patients suffering from addiction are either immunocompromised due to their addiction or other comorbidities like HIV, which worsens TB. This permissiveness is most worrying where both HIV and TB are prevalent, leading to increased contraction as well as death rates (Qi et al., 2023). The management of TB in communities that are entangled with substance use is difficult for several reasons, including but not limited to higher rates of dependency and, in many instances, inadequate healthcare facilities. Such population sub-groups ought to be targeted by means of focused public health interventions in order to control and prevent TB.

Subsequently, enhancing TB treatment compliance in populations with addiction requires both medical and psychological treatment approaches to TB and substance dependence. Thus, the necessity of initiatives, allowing the minimization of the exclusions for the given population, including mobile health clinics and community-based health interventions, is apparent (Sazali et al., 2022). In addition, coordinated and supplementary social support services can also complement medical treatment to improve adherence levels as well as treatment outcomes.

Conclusively, this connection between addiction and TB is a prime example of why more innovative and efficient public health approaches are needed to address these and related diseases simultaneously. This is significant not only from the point of view of the patients’ health but also of their populations, as well as public health and safety.

References

Maxwell Afranie Appiah, Joshua Appiah Arthur, Gborgblorvor, D., Asampong, E., Gideon Kye-Duodu, Edward Mberu Kamau, & Dako-Gyeke, P. (2023). Barriers to tuberculosis treatment adherence in high-burden tuberculosis settings in Ashanti region, Ghana: a qualitative study from patient’s perspective. BMC PUBLIC HEALTH, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16259-6

Qi, C.-C., Xu, L., Zhao, C., Zhang, H., Li, Q.-Y., Liu, M., Zhang, Y., Zhou, T., & Ma, X.-X. (2023). Prevalence and risk factors of tuberculosis among people living with HIV/AIDS in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Infectious Diseases, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-023-08575-4

Sazali, M. F., Rahim, S. S. S. A., Mohammad, A. H., Kadir, F., Payus, A. O., Avoi, R., Jeffree, M. S., Omar, A., Ibrahim, M. Y., Atil, A., Tuah, N. M., Dapari, R., Lansing, M. G., Rahim, A. A. A., & Azhar, Z. I. (2022). Improving tuberculosis medication adherence: The potential of integrating digital technology and health belief model. Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, 86(2). https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2022.0148

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

DB 5.1

• The risk of infectious disease significantly increases if someone living with addiction uses drugs intravenously. After viewing the videos, other materials, and based on your own examination of peer-reviewed sources, what are your thoughts about the spread of disease through intravenous drug use?

You also must use APA style in your postings and replies so please use in-text references and provide a reference to give proper credit to the authors.

DB 5.2

• Although treatable in most cases, Tuberculosis has evolved into several strains which are highly resistant to drug treatment that results in over a 60% death rate. After watching the videos, why is this concerning in regard to addiction?

You also must use APA style in your postings and replies so please use in-text references and provide a reference to give proper credit to the authors.

Discussion Board (DB) 5.1

NOTES:

• Please be sure to expound upon all your ideas. For instance, each of your posts needed further development to elaborate more on the concepts highlighted. As a graduate student, I expect fully developed ideas, so please work on that. Also, be sure to attend to all rules of grammar (e.g., spelling, tense, punctuation, etc.) and APA formatting.
• Here are a few APA 7 tips:
  • – Retrieval date is no longer cited.
  • – In-Text: Be sure to spell out the word “and” when the source is leading a sentence (i.e., Jones and Smith (2018) stated…)
  • – Books: The title is italicized and only the 1st word of the title and the 1st word following a colon are capitalized.
  • – Articles: Only the 1st word of the title and the 1st word following a colon are capitalized, and only the journal name is italicized.
  • – Blogs: Include the full date of publication (i.e., Year. Month. Day).

Readings:

• Read again if needed information in Chapters 1 in Stevens & Smith related to the topics we are studying this week.
• Read the information on HIV/AIDS – The Link and review all materials listed under “on this page” by clicking HERE.
• View the video, “Can We End AIDS by 2030?” (video two) offered by PBS by clicking HERE. You are welcome to watch more but it is not required.
• Read the NCBI’s information about Recommendations for Treatment of Hepatitis C in 2017 by clicking HERE
• Read the NCBI’s Article on Hepatitis C in Injection Drug Users by clicking HERE
• Read the short guide by the CDC about Tuberculosis by clicking  HERE
• Hepatitis: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment https://youtu.be/IkTPnzbTg88?feature=shared
• IV Drug Use: IV Drug User
  • Junkie shooting up and telling his story Part 1
• Hepatitis C: Hepatitis, in particular Hepatitis C, is commonly diagnosed in IV drug users. Please In view the videos below.
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtns5TvTm3c&t=52s
• Tuberculosis: Although treatable in most cases, Tuberculosis has evolved into several strains which are highly resistant to drug treatment. Please view the videos.
  • TB Video
  • TB Epidemic