Talk:HIV/AIDS in Malawi

Article revision
As part of an intensive course study at Rice University, I intend to expand this article to give readers a multi-dimensional perspective on the social, cultural, political, and economic effects of HIV/AIDS in Malawi. This epidemic is both a cause and symptom of the many problems facing Malawi today, including widespread poverty, food insecurity, and infectious disease; therefore, the Malawian government has acknowledged that a successful response will require a multi-dimensional approach. Wikipedia currently has several articles relating to this topic, including Malawi and Healthcare in Malawi, but these articles do not contain in-depth analyses of the epidemic, even though HIV/AIDS is the number one cause of death in Malawi. In addition, Wikipedia has dozens of articles addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS on various nations, and most of these articles address the topic more thoroughly than this article, even though HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Malawi are among the highest in the world. I plan to expand this article by describing the scope of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Malawi (drawing a distinction between urban and rural settings); beliefs about the risk of contracting HIV among people living in rural Malawi; the impact of local beliefs on prevention and treatment strategies; how existing sexual networks influence the spread of HIV in Malawi; the societal impact of HIV/AIDS on men, women, and children; the impact of HIV/AIDS on the Malawian economy; and the effectiveness, both in terms of cost and scope, of various domestic and international interventions.

Do you think this expanded article should address any other aspects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Malawi? I welcome your comments and suggestions! Thanks!

Jak8 (talk) 20:12, 22 February 2014 (UTC)

Article Suggestions
Hi there,

I think that your work on the article so far has been great, you've done a lot to expand the content making it a better rounded, and more comprehensive article. The article, however, lacks significant sourcing (11 total sources), and as a result, lacks authorial and academic diversity. Providing more evidence to support your claims would significantly improve the quality of the article. Keep up the great work!

Jpoles1 (talk) 18:05, 30 March 2014 (UTC)

Response
Hi Jpoles1,

Thank you for your suggestion! As I have continued expanding the article, I have incorporated more sources. The article currently cites 17 sources, and I intend to incorporate at least one more source. Please let me know if you have any other comments or suggestions.

Best, Jak8 (talk) 15:13, 5 April 2014 (UTC)

Article Feedback
Jak8, I commend you for your well organized and comprehensive contribution to this article! The explanation of the study that surveyed 57 Malawian men was very helpful in substantiated the claims that were made as a result of the study. Could you add a brief explanation of the other studies you reference? (specifically reference #5). Great job! I look forward to seeing your future efforts with this article. Brookeethleen (talk) 01:09, 1 April 2014 (UTC)

Response
Hi Brookeethleen,

I appreciate your feedback! I included brief descriptions of the other studies I referenced in the article.

Thanks, Jak8 (talk) 15:13, 5 April 2014 (UTC)

Finishing off to meet some GA criteria
Well done to contributor(s) on getting this article listed as a Good Article. I think there is a good deal of useful information here. I don't wish to be a party-pooper, but I just clicked on it, and I was somewhat struck by the brevity of the lead section. I then read through it, and it does not provide an adequate overview of the article per WP:Lead, a GA criteria. Some, what appear to be important, elements in an understanding of the topic are missing from the lead: the National AIDS Control Programme, a coordinated response, Banda ... had prevented the public from accessing information about the epidemic, gained access to antiretroviral drugs in 2003, etc, from the History section. I can't see anything from the Awareness and risk perception section, or the Education section, etc. The lead needs to be built up to meet the requirements of WP:Lead, otherwise it could be delisted. Also, a number of the images appear to have questionable relevance to the topic, such as File:Composting in Malawi.jpg, File:Future families - Hope, a Community Health Worker (7497778302).jpg, and File:LocationMalawi.png: see WP:IMAGE RELEVANCE, a GA criteria. I also was concerned by the focus and detail of the Awareness and risk perception section. The foregrounding phrase in that section is "Various studies have demonstrated...", which puts the emphasis on the studies, rather than on the information gained from the studies. This is not an essay attempting to convince the reader of a position - it is a general encyclopedia, which is assumed to be based on the main sources. Supporting arguments, or emphasising the sources are out of place here. If the phrase is cut we get the essential information: "Knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS is high...." If that statement is in doubt, then it needs to be balanced by views from opposing statements, rather than supported on its own by saying that the view is demonstrated by various sources. See WP:NPOV, another GA criteria, for why this matters. The section then goes into excessive detail and statistics: "When 57 Malawian men were interviewed in 2003, 100% of them said they had heard about the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the radio, and 84.2% of them said they had learned about HIV/AIDS during their visits to local health facilities". What is the essential point being made here that a reader of a general encyclopedia needs to know? That 57 men were interviewed in 2003? Or that there is an effective programme of HIV/AIDS awareness in Malawi? So there are concerns about focus, a GA criteria (3b). There are also concerns about the prose being clear and concise (criteria 1a). I am also concerned about general clear communication of basic and essential information, such as that Malawi has one of the highest percentages of AIDS in the world, and that while it has brought the percentage down from around 15% in 2006, it is still running at 10%. I think there is good information in the article, but it needs some tweaking to bring it out in a manner that is clear and helpful to the general reader. I'll provide advice and assistance to contributors who wish to work on resolving these issues. Please ping me for questions.  SilkTork  ✔Tea time  09:53, 24 April 2014 (UTC)

The circumcision disaster
And this just in: after a circumcision campaign to help stop HIV... infection rates have doubled in just one year. --Stormwatch (talk) 19:59, 4 August 2015 (UTC)