To mark World AIDS Day 2013 on Dec. 1, the U.S. Census Bureau is releasing today two data visualizations that depict the impact that HIV/AIDS has made on the population of 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Census Bureau estimates and projects population numbers, population growth rate, fertility, life expectancy and infant mortality worldwide. In the mid-1980s, analysts began researching the potential demographic impact of a country's HIV/AIDS epidemic. The data visualizations show how much a country's population total has been altered by HIV and AIDS.

Data on HIV and AIDS prevalence for most countries are available from the Census Bureau's HIV/AIDS Surveillance Data Base, a compilation of data from 219 countries and areas on the prevalence of HIV infection and AIDS cases and deaths. The database is maintained by the Census Bureau with funding from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The database focuses on HIV/AIDS surveillance data for countries and areas with at least 5,000 population, with the exception of Northern America (including the United States) and U.S. territories. Public health surveillance involves the collection, analysis and use of data to provide public health prevention resources where needed.

For those countries with an HIV/AIDS epidemic, the impact of AIDS mortality is estimated and removed to create a hypothetical population projection as if a country had never been affected. For many of these countries, AIDS mortality had slowed or reversed gains made in infant mortality rates and life expectancy. The "without AIDS" scenario is based on the assumption countries had continued with improvements in health care and disease prevention.

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