Geographic information systems: a new weapon in the fight against HIV/AIDS

At least four key areas in which national mapping agencies can contribute to the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS and improve health delivery in Africa were identified As:

• Underling the multifaceted nature of the fight against HIV/AIDS, given limited resources, it is often thecase that spatially targeted interventions have the potential to produce better results with more effectives pending when resources are spatially focused.

• Several public health maladies (such as malaria, TB, etc.) have strong correlations with environmentalfactors, such as altitude, humidity and precipitation, diurnal temperature range, land cover, etc. Researchcontinues on the epidemiological-environmental nexus in the HIV/AIDS field.

• National Mapping Agencies also have a role to play in monitoring HIV/AIDS rates at the sub-nationallevel. Data at the finest spatial resolution available allows for better understanding of not only current geographic patterns of HIV/AIDS infection but to also of “corridors” of transmission.

• National Mapping Agencies in many countries may be the only agency equipped (with hardware, software, and expertise) to produce maps illustrating HIV/AIDS rates across a country or to analyze spatial data appropriately.

For further information visit http://www.uneca.org/eca_resources/news/2009/090427codist-gis.html or contact: ecainfo@uneca.org.