The Region that Prevails in the Fight Against Aids

The World Health Organization postulates that “HIV is the fastest growing threat to development today”. To examine the nature and maturity of this threat, I was intrigued to analyze data objectively and fairly.

Zdaly’s data emanates from a variety of sources. The HIV data I examined was sourced from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). I first used the location analysis tool to visualize the amount of new reported HIV cases in various countries all over the world (per year). To narrow down the research, I selected parameters to view data from, such as region and subgroup. After pinpointing South Africa and Nigeria as the two countries with the highest number of new HIV cases each year, I selected “time series analysis” to obtain a yearly incidence of the diagnoses.

These charts show that the trajectory of new HIV cases is on the decline in both of these countries in the last 13 years.The Zdaly forecasts, formulated through meticulous statistical analysis, can tell users with 98% confidence that this pattern will continue.From 2010–2015, the amount of new HIV cases in Eastern and Southern Africa decreased by 14%. For other regions of the world, the results are more grim. In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, new HIV cases increased by 57% in the same five year period.

What are the implications of these disparities?

In order to keep the downward movement of HIV, countries should emulate the practices and policy of places that have shown a marked decline in new infections . One thing that has most certainly aided in the decrease in new HIV cases is Antiretroviral treatment (ART). Antiretroviral medications work to halt the spread of the virus and quell the transmission of the virus.

South Africa is an exemplar of quality policy that has yielded positive results in the fight against HIV. The South African government has the largest ART program in the world, supplemented by programs like the United State’s Presidential Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR). 2015 marked the greatest amount of people getting access to treatment, with 18.2 million individuals getting help. An astounding 10 million of these individuals received ART just in South Africa.

UNAIDS projects that US$ 26.2 billion will be required for the AIDS response in 2020, with US$ 23.9 billion required in 2030. Looking at these numbers, we can be optimistic that policymakers’ attentiveness to this epidemic is yielding positive results.

I am interested in your analysis of world issues like this one that can be productively discussed and debated using the power of data. What topics would you like to read more about? Comments and suggestions are encouraged!

Let’s shine a light on issues empowered by access to data!