Social life of HIV data
Anthony K J Smith1,2,3, Daniel Storer4,5,6, Alexander McClelland7
1Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia anthony.smith@unsw.edu.au.
Medical Humanities
|March 5, 2026
Summary
Understanding the social life of HIV data is crucial for public health. This review explores concepts like data colonialism and data justice to promote ethical and reflexive HIV data practices.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology
- Data Science Ethics
Background:
- Data is fundamental to public health and managing infectious diseases like HIV.
- Tensions exist regarding data generation, storage, analysis, and its reflection of reality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of key concepts for understanding the social life of HIV public health data.
- To advocate for critical attention to ethical and reflexive HIV data practices.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of concepts related to the social life of data.
- Exploration of datafication, data colonialism, data sovereignty, data justice, data capabilities, data performativity, and reflexivity.
Main Results:
- Identified key concepts shaping the social life of HIV data.
- Highlighted concerns regarding data governance, equity, and marginalized groups.
- Emphasized the recursive relationship between data and social worlds.
Conclusions:
- Critical attention to the 'social life of HIV data' is essential.
- Promotes ethical and reflexive practices in HIV data generation and utilization.
- Advocates for centering the processes of data meaning-making and social influence.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Sexually Transmitted Infections
1.4K
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are diseases transmitted primarily through unsafe sexual interactions. Bacteria, viruses, or parasites cause them and can result in severe health complications if untreated.ChlamydiaThe bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis is responsible for the disease Chlamydia, the most common STI in the United States. This peculiar pathogen requires human cells to reproduce, residing intracellularly. The initial infection often goes unnoticed because it typically does not...
1.4K
01:10Retrovirus Life Cycles
50.1K
Retroviruses have a single-stranded RNA genome that undergoes a special form of replication. Once the retrovirus has entered the host cell, an enzyme called reverse transcriptase synthesizes double-stranded DNA from the retroviral RNA genome. This DNA copy of the genome is then integrated into the host’s genome inside the nucleus via an enzyme called integrase. Consequently, the retroviral genome is transcribed into RNA whenever the host’s genome is transcribed, allowing the...
50.1K
01:17Transmission-based Precautions I: Contact, Enteric, and Droplets
4.9K
Transmission-based precautions are for patients known to be infected or suspected to be infected or colonized with organisms that pose a significant risk to others. Some transmission-based precautions include contact, enteric, and droplet.
Contact Precautions:
Contact precautions are the measures taken to prevent the transmission of infectious agents, especially epidemiologically important microorganisms such as MRSA or influenza, primarily transmitted through direct or indirect contact with an...
Contact Precautions:
Contact precautions are the measures taken to prevent the transmission of infectious agents, especially epidemiologically important microorganisms such as MRSA or influenza, primarily transmitted through direct or indirect contact with an...
4.9K
01:25Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment
2.1K
Transmission-based precautions are for patients infected or suspected to be infected (or colonized) with organisms posing a significant risk to others. The transmission precautions include airborne and protective environment precautions.
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
2.1K
01:26Size and Structure of Viral Genomes
953
Viral genomes exhibit remarkable diversity in size, structure, and composition, influencing their replication strategies and interactions with host cells. These genomes consist of either DNA or RNA and may be linear or circular. Additionally, they can be single-stranded or double-stranded, with each configuration affecting how the virus propagates within a host. RNA viruses, for instance, generally have smaller genomes than DNA viruses, a factor that contributes to their high mutation rates and...
953