Relatively few people have access to anti-retroviral treatment in South Africa, and this is justified by the government on grounds of affordability, the author addresses South Africa's contentious AIDS policy from both an economic and ethical perspective, presenting: a history of AIDS policy in South Africa; an expert analysis of the macroeconomic impact of AIDS; a delineation of the relationship between AIDS and poverty and the challenges this poses for development, inequality and social solidarity; an investigation into how a programme preventing mother-to-child transmission would be less expensive than having to treat children with AIDS-related illnesses; an exploration of the relationship between AIDS treatment and risky sexual behaviour; an economic and social case for expanded AIDS prevention and treatment intervention.

The "Encyclopedia of AIDS" covers all major aspects of the first 15 years of the AIDS epidemic, including the breakthroughs in treatment announced at the International AIDS Conference in July 1996. The encyclopedia provides extensive coverage of major topics in eight areas: basic science and epidemiology; transmission and prevention; pathology and treatment; impacted populations; policy and law; politics and activism; culture and society; and the global epidemic.
With more than 300 entries written by 175 specialists and illustrated with more than 100 photographs and charts, the "Encyclopedia of AIDS" is an essential reference work for students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, professionals in a wide variety of medical, service, and care fields, academics, researchers, journalists, and general readers.

This volume contains a selection of key contributions to the discussion on the psychological and social implications on HIV infection. It contains up-to-date and authoritative papers by senior practitioners and researchers in the field of the psychological and social aspects of HIV infection. The book will appeal to those involved in providing care for people with HIV infections, be they physicians and nurses or psychologists, social workers and psychiatrists, as well as those involved in preventing the spread of the HIV infection.

From the start of the HIV epidemic, the psychological and social aspects of the AIDS infection have been recognized. What could have been regarded simply as an infectious disease was soon acknowledged as a global problem that raised important issues about its transmission and prevention; economic, ethical and legal questions regarding the mental health consequences and the need for access to medical and social care.

Introduces AIDS, explaining what it is, how it cannot be spread by casual contact, and how to act around someone who has it.

When AIDS was first recognized in 1981, most experts believed that is was a plague, a virulent unexpected disease. They throught AIDS, as a plague, would resemble the great epidemics of the past: it would be devastating but would soon subside, perhaps never to return. By the middle 1980s, however, it became increasingly clear that AIDS was a chronic infection, not a classic plague.;In this follow-up to "AIDS: The Burden of History", the editors present essays that describe how AIDS has come to be regarded as a chronic disease. Representing diverse fields and professions, the 23 contributors to this work use historical methods to analyze politics and public policy, human rights issues, and the changing populations with HIV infection. They examine the federal government's testing of drugs for cancer and HIV and show how the policy makers' choice of a specific historical model (chronic disease versus plague) affected their decisions.;A photo essay reveals the strength of women from various backgrounds and lifestyles who are coping with HIV. An account of the complex relationships of the gay community to AIDS is included. Finally, several contributors provide a sampling of international perspectives on the impact of AIDS in other nations.