The Technological Fix

AIDS/HIV Case Study

Sources:
See Oxford A2 Geography for Edexcel p232-5 attached as .pdf documents
http://www.aids.gov/ US Government website
http://www.aids.gov/basic/glossary/index.html Glossary of terms
http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/ US Health agency site
http://www.unaids.org/en/default.asp UN Programme on HIV and AIDS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_South_Africa Wikipedia entry with details of African demographics
including statistics on AIDS
http://www.who.int/hiv/en/ World Health Organisation site on HIV/AIDS
http://www.unaids.org/en/ United Nations joint programme on AIDS home page
http://data.unaids.org/pub/GlobalReport/2006/2006_GR_CH02_en.pdf UNAIDS Report on the global epidemic 2006
http://www.unaids.org/en/ Amnesty International site search this for AIDS or HIV
http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/ University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine site on HIV an AIDS
http://www.avert.org/statindx.htm Statistics on HIV AIDS throughout the world and by country, both the UK and
Africa are included
http://www.eldis.org/hivaids/index.htm HIV and AIDS Resource guide from the Eldis Gateway to development site.
http://www.cln.org/themes/aids.html Canadian site with loads of annotated links
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/aids general resources
http://www.tht.org.uk/ The Terence Higgins Trust
http://www.unicef.org.uk/campaigns/born_free/ UNICEF
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/17/pope-africa-condoms-aids pope in Africa

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Define AIDS and HIV and explain what the difference is.
How is HIV transmitted ?
What is a Pandemic ?
What are the origins of the Pandemic ?
What is the Four-H Club ?
Look at the map on p232 and figures 2-4 overleaf, showing worldwide adult HIV
infection rates.
What patterns can you see at both a global and regional scale ?
How does the global spread of HIV compare with the map showing digital access on
p3 and below ? http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/images/ict_oi_02.jpg
7. Do you think that there is a link between the availability of technology and the impact
of HIV ? How can this link be explained ?
8. Explain the reasons that may have contributed to the concentration of the HIV epidemic
in sub-Saharan Africa.
9. Describe strategies to prevent/reduce the spread of HIV classify by technology level if
you can.
10.Define anti-retroviral drug.
11.Investigate the global impacts(social, environmental and economic) of the HIV
pandemic, focusing on the contrasting impacts between the more and less developed
world, and the more and less fortunate people in both.
12.Research the UN Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS :
http://www.unaids.org/en/AboutUNAIDS/Goals/2006Declaration/default.asp
13.The UN states that $24bn could ensure universal access to HIV/AIDS care (HIV
prevention, treatment, care and support) by 2010. Why do you think that, despite the
USA pledging $50 billion in 2008, this may still not ensure universal care ?
14.Using the country responses link at:
http://www.unaids.org/en/CountryResponses/Regions/SubSaharanAfrica.asp , research a
sub-Saharan country of your choice: see figure 2 below also
a. Estimates of numbers of people living with AIDS by age group and gender
b. Numbers of deaths
c. Numbers of orphans
d. Progress towards the universal access target
e. What is holding progress up ?
15.Look at the 6 technological developments presented on pages 234-5. Are they available
to all ? Complete figure 1 below.

16.How did the Pope (on a recent visit to Africa) get into the news about AIDS ? Do you
agree with his views ?
17.Should we care that there is no universal access to care ?
MRP 21.05.09
Figure 1
Technological
development

How it works

Available to
whom ?

Barriers that
may prevent
access.

Drug
(Raltegravir)

Fig 2
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20.

Top 20 Countries
Botswana
Zimbabwe
Lesotho
Zambia
Swaziland
South Africa
Malawi
Namibia
Burundi
Rwanda
Kenya
Central African Republic
Cote d'Ivoire
Djibouti
Haiti
Tanzania
Congo, Republic of the
Mozambique
Cameroon
Burkina Faso

AIDS deaths per capita.

16.52 per 1000 people
15.90 per 1000 people
13.42 per 1000 people
11.64 per 1000 people
10.33 per 1000 people
8.41 per 1000 people
6.86 per 1000 people
6.74 per 1000 people
6.56 per 1000 people
6.27 per 1000 people
6.00 per 1000 people
5.97 per 1000 people
4.42 per 1000 people
4.37 per 1000 people
3.98 per 1000 people
3.89 per 1000 people
3.72 per 1000 people
3.43 per 1000 people
3.36 per 1000 people
3.32 per 1000 people

GNP per capita

$8600
$2800
$2800
$300
$4800
$10,000
$580
$6800
$500
$1200
$1110
$600
$1400
$1400
$1400
$700
$800
$1200
$1700
$1100

Fig 4 Continent
North America
Africa
South America
Europe
Asia
Oceania
Figure 5

People living with AIDS/HIV.

900,000
25,000,000
1,600,000
500,000
6,500,000
15,000