How real numbers can eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV

According to 2014 estimates from UNAIDS, between 3.4 million and 4.3 million women over 15 live with HIV in South Africa, while between 310,000 and 370,000 children in the country are HIV-positive.

In an age when countries can register nearly every mobile phone subscriber — and mobile phones are nearly ubiquitous — it is no longer acceptable, or ethical for that matter, for the public health community to work with HIV rate estimates that are “plus or minus” tens of thousands of people.

Real numbers can enable those who were previously invisible to become visible. By harnessing the power of digital technology to gather and send information, the public health community can use real numbers to more accurately measure incidence and prevalence of disease and provide more effective services to those who need them most. Milestones that have often seemed impossible — such as reaching an AIDS-free generation in countries that have struggled with the virus most — are now becoming possible.