December 1st was designated World AIDS Day in 1988 to bring awareness and create partnerships to combat the spread of a disease that, as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon states, "...is a disease unlike any other. It is a social issue, a human rights issue, an economic issue. It targets young adults just as they should be contributing to economic development, intellectual growth, and bringing up young children."*

For World AIDS Day 2007, the theme is leadership, part of a five-year slogan "Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise." GIS provides leaders and public health professionals with a variety of tools and methods to track the spread of AIDS, determine populations at risk, develop programs, and monitor the success of targeted initiatives.

Recognizing the capabilities of GIS, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed the Public Health Mapping and GIS Programme in 1993 with the goal of providing better access to GIS, mapping, and data for public health administrators of all levels. Though originally created to boost efforts to eradicate guinea worm disease, the programme has expanded to make data and mapping available for all communicable diseases. The programme is part of a global partnership in promoting and implementing GIS that gives leaders support in decision-making for a wide range of infectious diseases.

One of the many challenges public health officials face in dealing with HIV/AIDS is interpreting vast amounts of data that span time, place, and social and economic levels. GIS brings together data including demographics, number of cases over time, age or gender groups affected, and allows for analysis and modeling revealing trends and patterns. The results can be visualized on a map so that it can be readily understood by non-medical personnel, such as policy makers in local government or public health organizations.

For example, in Tracing HIV Spread, Geospatial Today, M. Bhattacharya, Dept. of CHA, National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi, describes how GIS is being used to understand the pattern of HIV spread and develop appropriate intervention and education programs. Through tracking and surveillance, they have been able to identify groups at risk and possible transmitter groups. This has allowed them to focus efforts where they are needed most.

The analysis has also revealed that death from AIDS has created a significant number of orphans--who, in some areas, outnumber infected persons-highlighting the need for specialized education, health care, and other programs.

In addition to helping identify the need for intervention and education programs, GIS can also play a vital role in monitoring the effectiveness of those programs. In Evaluating HIV/AIDS Programs, ArcUser, Dr. Xiaomei Tan, a Washington, D.C.-based consultant, writes that mapping offers two main benefits. First, it can compare before and after conditions in relation to fund allocations, showing how a program has impacted a region or group.

Second, mapping can help anticipate needs based on those changes and any changes in epidemiological information. Policy makers can use the results for evaluating redistribution of funds and/or programs.

Learn More

GIS for Public Health-information on how GIS is used for public health and health and human services

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)-a collaboration of the efforts and resources of ten UN system organizations to the global AIDS response.

UNAIDS/WHO Global HIV/AID Online Database-data query, interactive mapping, and maps and resources

 

*Excerpt from the Secretary-General's message on World AIDS Day 2007.