The syllabus says
Geographic factors and impacts [of disease]
- Examine the geographic factors responsible for the incidence and spread of two diseases.
- Evaluate the geographic impact of these two diseases at the local, national and international scales.
- Evaluate the management strategies that have been applied in any one country or region for one of these diseases.
Key terms
The source of the longer definitions and explanations here is the virology.net glossary.
The two types of HIV are:
- HIV - Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is often split into two types (see below).
- AIDS - Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. The most severe manifestation of infection HIV. Opportunistic infections in the presence of an HIV infection which constitute an AIDS diagnosis.
- Barrier contraception -
- Antiretroviral agents / drugs - Substances used against retroviruses such as HIV.
- Retrovirus - at the basic level, a virus that inserts a copy of itself into the host cell in order to replicate. HIV is an example of a retrovirus. A more detailed discussion is available here, but don't get sidetracked into Biology instead of Geography.
The two types of HIV are:
- HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS TYPE 1 (HIV-1): The retrovirus isolated and recognized as causing or contributing to the cause of AIDS.
- HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS TYPE 2 (HIV-2): A virus closely related to HIV-1 that has been found to cause immune suppression. Most common in Africa.
What is HIV and AIDS?
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The following information is taken directly from the website of the AIDS charity AVERT:
Source: http://www.info.gov.hk/aids/english/surveillance/cumhivaids.jpg via http://www.info.gov.hk/aids/english/surveillance/latest_stat.htm
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HIV and AIDS: A MDG Goal
The Millennium Development Goals include specific mention of HIV and AIDS. It is part of Goal 6, outlined below with some information about recent developments.
The 2015 Progress Chart, shown below, outlines how different world regions have met the goal.
Source: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/2015_MDG_Report/pdf/MDG%202015%20PC%20final.pdf
HIV and AIDS at the Global Scale
Source: http://kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-global-hivaids-epidemic/
The following information is taken directly from the United States Centres of Disease Control and Prevention website:
- Worldwide, there were about 2 million new cases of HIV in 2014.
- About 36.9 million people are living with HIV around the world, and as of June 2015, around 15.8 million people living with HIV were receiving medicines to treat HIV, called antiretroviral therapy (ART).
- An estimated 1.2 million people died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2014.
- Since 2000, around 25.3 million people have died of AIDS-related illnesses.
- Sub-Saharan Africa, which bears the heaviest burden of HIV/AIDS worldwide, accounts for 66% of all new HIV infections.
- Other regions significantly affected by HIV/AIDS include Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Source: https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/global-statistics/
Source: UNAIDS: How AIDS Changed Everything, from http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/documents/2015/MDG6_15years-15lessonsfromtheAIDSresponse
The cause of the spread of HIV and AIDS
The spread of HIV has occurred in different ways in different places, but the biggest risk factor beyond the immediate sexual or drug taking activity of the individual is poverty.
An excellent brief overview of the history of HIV and AIDS is found at the AVERT website. It outlines the concept of the 'Four H Club' which refers to groups who have high risk factors and were identified in the early stage of the disease:
An excellent brief overview of the history of HIV and AIDS is found at the AVERT website. It outlines the concept of the 'Four H Club' which refers to groups who have high risk factors and were identified in the early stage of the disease:
- men who have sex with men (homosexuals) due to high risk sexual behaviour
- haemophiliacs, due to receiving blood product transfusions which contained the virus
- heroin users, due to high risk injection drug behaviour
- Haitians who migrated to the USA, because there was a sizable minority of sufferers who were Haitian who picked up the disease as migrant workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
However, the spread of HIV is mainly through heterosexual sexual contact. The video below left (21 minutes) is a Journeyman Pictures documentary dating from 1999. Though it is old, it outlines how the virus was spread within the population due to geographical factors such as transport, migration, informal sector work, lack of social cohesion and development.
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The video (below right, 30 minutes) is a more recent documentary focusing on Kenya. It outlines how truck drivers and others are blamed for the HIV epidemic and concludes by mentioning the level to which truck drivers feel themselves to be unfairly accused as a result.
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The Impact of HIV and AIDS
The slideshow below contains information that is helpful when explaining the impact of the epidemic on Kenya, though the data contained inside is somewhat out of date.
Source: http://www.slideshare.net/jwthacher/impact-of-aids
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Source: http://www.nacc.or.ke/, Kenya AIDS Strategic Framework
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Demographic impacts include the rapid change of life expectancy, as shown on the graph below. Meanwhile, the 'demographic dividend' that should be experienced by countries that have a large youthful population is squandered because the 'taxable base' population of young adults who can be charged tax is weakened as it is this group that is killed by the disease.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_impact_of_HIV/AIDS#Relationship_to_GDP
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Source: https://populationpyramid.net/kenya/2016/
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The document below outlines further demographic impacts of HIV in Kenya.
Source: http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/kenya
Management strategies for combatting HIV and AIDS
In 2014 Kenya updated its action plan for combatting HIV and AIDS, following a largely successful attempt to reduce HIV and AIDS in the previous decade.
The document below is the Kenya AIDS Strategic Framework. Pages 16-20 outline the prevention strategies that are being used. The key intervention areas are:
The expected results by 2019 are:
The document below is the Kenya AIDS Strategic Framework. Pages 16-20 outline the prevention strategies that are being used. The key intervention areas are:
- Granulate (separate out) the HIV epidemic to intensify HIV prevention efforts to priority geographies and populations
- Adapt and scale up effective evidence-based combination prevention
- Maximise efficiency in service delivery through integration
- Leverage opportunities through creation of synergies [connections] with other sectors
The expected results by 2019 are:
- Reduced annual new HIV infections among adults by 75%
- Reduced HIV transmission rates from mother to child from 14% to less than 5%
Source: http://www.nacc.or.ke/
Extra: HIV and AIDS in Hong Kong
This is additional information for students who may have a special interest in Hong Kong.