In studying the country Mali, I found that the best way to research HIV/AIDS is to study it from an epidemiological, anthropological approach. Sub-Saharan Africa houses some of the most developing countries in the world, and is home to some of the highest HIV/AIDS victims in the world. According to the Africa Health Observatory (AHO) and the World Health Organization, “based on a single point estimate, there are nearly 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS in Mali”(Mali: Analytical summary – HIV/AIDS – AHO, 2014). Epidemiologists are at the forefront of collecting data and are masters at figuring out how diseases affect populations. Epidemiology is defined as “the study of the distribution and determinants of disease”(Trostle et al., 1996). In an anthropological perspective to epidemiology anthropologist and epidemiologist look at a countries culture to determine how specific diseases affect each culture. They also look at ways to advocate, bring awareness, and search for ways to prevent further incidences. In the case of HIV/AIDS “Epidemiologic tools are essential to understanding patterns of risk and transmission, finding individuals and groups that need better access to care, and identifying key methods for interruption of transmission and control of the epidemic at the population level”(HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Research, 2015). I am currently studying in sociology and I see epidemiological tools in my major everyday. For Example in the case of HIV/AIDS In the United States “gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, particularly young black/African Americans, are most seriously affected by HIV”(U.S. Statistics, 2014). Compared to Mali where “the young populations, especially never-married sexually-active females, face the greatest risk of HIV infection in the country, with prevalence rates much higher than the average for both urban and rural areas as well as all women of reproductive age. This is associated with an early age of sexual debut and sexual mixing with high-risk older men, on top of their biological and gender-related vulnerability”(The Global HIV/AIDS Program: THE WORLD BANK, 2008). The anthropological perspective to epidemiology draws many questions this matter and asks questions such as; why is this? How has HIV/AIDS changed the culture of Mali? How do people view the culture as a result of the disease, and lastly how does HIV/AIDS operate in the affected culture compared to the United States. To support the theory I chose according to an article in the Oxford journal entitled “Media Use and HIV/AIDS Knowledge: A Knowledge Gap Perspective”, “epidemiologically, in Sub-Saharan Africa, HIV/AIDS has long been an urban problem. Where household surveys have been conducted, the HIV prevalence has been higher in rural areas”(Bekalu’, Mesfin, and Steven Eggermont, 2013). Why is this? The anthropological perspective to epidemiology or theory of epidemiology applies to this and is the most important theory, because you must question what is causing this increase of HIV/AIDS in this region. What can the Malian government and citizens do to prevent the spread of the disease while finding out the source, which is spreading the disease at such a rapid rate. Without the epidemiological and anthropological perspectives and approaches there would be no answers to find potential cures and possibly limit the spread of disease. This is what makes the epidemiological and anthropological perspectives and approaches most important.
Work Cited
-Bekalu’, Mesfin, and Steven Eggermont. “Media Use and HIV/AIDS Knowledge: A Knowledge Gap Perspective.” Oxford Journals 1 (2013). Health Promotion International. Oxford Journals.
-Trostle, James, and Johannes Sommerfeld. “Medical Anthropology and Epidemiology.” Annual Review of Anthropology. 25. no. 1 (1996): 253-274.
-Mali:Analytical summary – HIV/AIDS – AHO. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.aho.afro.who.int/profiles_information/index.php/Mali:Analytical_summary_-_HIV/AIDS
-U.S. Statistics.” U.S. Statistics. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2 Dec. 2014. Web.
-“The Global HIV/AIDS Program: THE WORLD BANK.” HIV / AIDS in Mali An Epidemiological Synthesis. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank, 1 Apr. 2008. Web.
HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Research.” HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Research. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 31 July 2015. Web.