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AIDS in Africa: How the Poor are Dying

ISBN: 978-0-745-63158-5

February 2006

Polity

240 pages

Description
Across Africa, HIV/AIDS is slowly killing millions of people in the prime of their lives, weakening state structures, deepening poverty and reversing the gains in life expectancy achieved over the past century. Although many who study the dynamics of Africas AIDS crisis accept that, to some degree, its entrenchment is a socially produced phenomenon, few have examined how the course and intensity of the epidemic have been affected by the continents ubiquitous poverty, the impact of the pervasive structural adjustment programmes or Africas marginalization in the process of globalization until now.

This book explores the socio-economic context of Africas vulnerability to HIV/AIDS as well as assessing the politics of domestic and global response. Using primary and secondary data, it charts the power relations driving Africas HIV/AIDS epidemic, frustrating the possibility of alleviation and recovery as well as working to relegate the continent to a bleak and vulnerable future. In this sense, the book marks a radical departure by providing a comprehensive analysis of Africas vulnerability to AIDS and the challenges confronting policy makers as they seek to reverse its escalating prevalence on the continent.

AIDS in Africa is an immensely valuable introduction to the greatest pandemic facing the world today.

About the Author
N.Poku, Director of Research, Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa
Features

  • In-depth analysis of the political and social structures behind a phenomenon which is devastating the entire African continent
  • Written by the Director of Research for the UN’s HIV/AIDS in Africa Commission
  • Provides a wealth of data on the extent of the AIDS crisis in Africa
  • Charts the history of the AIDS epidemic, as well as the possibility for future alleviation of the crisis
  • Clear analysis of the implications for policy-makers both in Africa and elsewhere
  • Written in a clear, accessible style, ideal for undergraduates