http://www1.uneca.org/ArticleDetail/tabid/3018/ArticleId/1807/Geographic-information-systems-a-new-weapon-in-the-fight-against-HIV-AIDS.aspx 1/1
Geographic information systems: a new weapon in the fight against HIV/AIDS
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 27 April 2009 (ECA) - Some 150 participants attending an international workshop on the use of geographic information systems in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic today identified 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.
Underling the multifaceted nature of the fight against HIV/AIDS, Ms Aida Opoku-Mensah, Director of Information Science and Technology Division at ECA said that, given limited resources, it is often the case that spatially targeted interventions have the potential to produce better results with more effective spending when resources are spatially focused.
Secondly, several public health maladies (such as malaria, TB, etc.) have strong correlations with environmental factors, such as altitude, humidity and precipitation, diurnal temperature range, land cover, etc. Research continues on the epidemiological- environmental nexus in the HIV/AIDS field.
Third, National Mapping Agencies also have a role to play in monitoring HIV/AIDS rates at the sub-national level. 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.
Finally, 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.
This explains why, in concert with ministries of health and national AIDS Commissions, and other public, private and civil society institutions have an important role to play in arresting the transmission of the pandemic, Ms Opoku-Mensah told the opening session of the workshop.
The workshop is organized in collaboration with UASID, UNAIDS, North Carolina-based Measure Evaluations, and the ECA.
Dr. John Spencer of Measure Evaluation outlined the goal of the workshop in three points: build linkages between mapping agencies and health sector; identify challenges for effective use of data; and start a discussion that can continue when participants go back to their home countries.
In his opening remarks at the workshop, Dr. Roger Salla Ntounga, UNAIDS Representative to Ethiopia, the African Union and the ECA, said that during the current economic downturn, improving the effectiveness and quality of HIV and AIDS services is more important than it is ever been, because “we must do more with less.”
He said that there is need to go beyond the grim statistics we often hear on AIDS by using them help to decision-makers figure out what is working, so as to bring assistance to the people most in need of services.
The UNAIDS representative recalled that national mapping agencies and GIS technology are giving national AIDS programme managers a new, clearer view of epidemiological and programme data in a handful of countries.
He said that the workshop is an opportunity to learn from the experiences of these institutions and GIS technology, and to forge new partnerships that will spread the use of this technology to better target the use of limited national resources.
Mr. Yinka Adeyemi, HIV/AIDS focal point at ECA welcomed participants before outlining its activities and challenges in coordinating the response to the pandemic. Ms Opoku-Mensah, represented the Executive Secretary of the ECA at the opening ceremony.
It would be recalled that the workshop is one of the preparatory events of the forthcoming First Session of the Committee on Development Information, Science and Technology (CODIST I) billed for Addis Ababa from 29 April to 1 May 2009.
CODIST I will bring together over 500 scientists from Africa and the world.
Issued by the ECA Information and Communication Service P.O. Box 3001
Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Tel: 251 11 5445098 Fax: +251 11 5510365 E-mail: ecainfo@uneca.org Web: www.uneca.org
Related Articles
ECA calls on African scientists to use ICT to shield continent from global crisis, initiate growth (4/29/2009)
