Web Watch: HIV/AIDS Data Hub for Asia Pacific
HIV Australia | Vol. 8 No. 2 | July 2010
The HIV and AIDS Data Hub for Asia-Pacific website provides access to a comprehensive range of data and other resources about the HIV epidemic in the Asia-Pacific region.
The premise behind the site is summed up by its tagline ‘Evidence to Action’: in order to achieve change, advocates must have access to current, good quality data about the HIV epidemic in specific locations, as opposed to generalised global summaries, which are often more readily available.
The Data Hub is one component of a larger project, ‘Evidence-based Advocacy for Action’, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) through the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The site itself is a collaborative partnership between UNICEF, UNAIDS, and ADB. Its operations are overseen by a Science and Technical Advisory Group made up of expert health practitioners from across the Asia-Pacific.
The website is impressive in its scope, providing a detailed profile of HIV in 27 distinct locations. What is immediately obvious is the great care with which it has been put together. It is regularly updated, visually appealing and easy to use. It has recently been given a complete overhaul in appearance and its search functions have been improved.
There are five key areas where users can access data related to their country of inquiry: Country Profiles, Regional Profiles, Tools, Reference Materials and Videos.The ‘Country Profiles’ menu allows users to select a country, which takes them to a landing page providing a range of related information and resources. All data and resources can be viewed online and can also be downloaded for later reference.
Datasets for each country are broken down into five broad areas: HIV prevalence and epidemiological status; vulnerability and HIV knowledge; risk behaviours; socio-economic impact of the epidemic in the region (the ‘economics of AIDS’); national response; and key issues. Users can download an Excel report on each or all of these topic areas.
HIV prevalence data are split into subcategories, including most-at-risk populations, prevalence in major urban areas and non-urban areas, and prevalence among subpopulation groups such as MSM, transgender, women and children.
In addition to the Excel formatted reports, datasets can be downloaded as PowerPoint presentations. This is a great tool and an important feature of the site, because it brings the data to life using coloured graphs, maps and diagrams ready for use in a presentation setting.
A briefing about the epidemiology and trajectory of the epidemic within each country is available under the ‘Country Profiles’ heading. These reports provide a succinct overview of the HIV epidemic by country, including the date of the first officially recorded case, percentages relating to HIV prevalence for population sub-groups (including groups most at risk), details about national and government responses, and analysis of other specific factors relevant to the epidemic in each location.
The site also provides access to some 2000 resource documents, including national strategic plans, surveillance reports, population-based surveys, targeted studies and epidemiological fact sheets. These can be accessed from the ‘Reference Materials’ or individual Country Profiles. Featured resources are also highlighted on the site’s homepage.
The ‘Regional Profile’ section of the site provides data that compares specific aspects of the epidemic between different countries, providing a comparative overview of data across the region. It focuses on areas including migration, law and policy, and women and children.
Under ‘Guidelines’ in the Tools section (a newer area of the site), there is a range of documents well worth downloading. Resources include The People Living with HIV Stigma Index and Sexwork, violence and HIV – a guide for programmes with sex workers. The ‘Tools’ section also contains National AIDS Spending Assessment (NASA) reports, as well as a training manual section.
In summary, the AIDS Datahub website provides access to a rich array of resources for anyone wanting current information about HIV in the Asia Pacific. All resources can be reproduced free of charge, providing www.aidsdatahub.org is acknowledged, making this site an essential tool for advocacy.
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