HIV And AIDS in Africa

The social and behavioural aspects of HIV and AIDS have continued to defy explanation. Often, the complex dynamics of the condition are overlooked in the attempt to find a chemical answer. This book examines the quest for appropriate prevention programmes for HIV, based on an examination of its epidemiology. The transfer of HIV/AIDS among people in any society is complex, but the author argues that understanding how the virus moves socially can help in prevention. There is a widespread agreement that the HIV pandemic in southern Africa has reached catastrophic proportions. In providing an analysis of the movement of the virus at a local and regional level in southern Africa, Webb intends to make available techniques and conceptual models which will allow researchers and policy makers to understand the epidemic and respond effectively. He traces the complex relation between the virus, the movement of peoples and traditional sexual behaviour and examines HIV in the context of "development" and political and structural change in southern Africa.