
HIV/AIDS: A Very Short Introduction
A Very Short Introduction
Alan Whiteside OBE(Author)
Oxford University Press
Published on 1. April 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
168 pages
978-0-19-280692-5 (ISBN)
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Description
HIV/AIDS is without doubt the worst epidemic to hit humankind since the Black Death. The first case was identified in 1981; by 2004 it was estimated that about 40 million people were living with the disease, and about 20 million had died. Despite rapid scientific advances there is still no cure and the drugs are expensive and toxic. Because of controversies and taboos surrounding safe drug usage and prostitution, the numbers of people infected continues to rise. However, it is in the developing world and especially parts of Africa that the real catastrophe is unfolding. In some of the worst affected countries life expectancy has plummeted to below 35 years, which has led to a serious decline in economic growth, a sharp rise in orphaning, and the imminent collapse of health care systems. The news is not all bleak though. There have been unprecedented breakthroughs in understanding diseases and developing drugs. Because the disease is so closely linked to sexual activity and drug use, the need to understand and change behaviour has caused us to reassess what it means to be human and how we should operate in the globalising world.
This Very Short Introduction provides an introduction to the disease, tackling the science, the international and local politics, the fascinating demographics, and the devastating consequences of the disease, and explores how we have - and must - respond. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
This Very Short Introduction provides an introduction to the disease, tackling the science, the international and local politics, the fascinating demographics, and the devastating consequences of the disease, and explores how we have - and must - respond. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Reviews / Votes
Packed with statistics and handy explanations of science. It won't make you an expert. But you'll know what you're talking about and you'll have a better idea of all the work we still have to do to wrestle this monster to the ground. Aids-free world website. An essential read... Readers will gain understanding of the medical, social, political and ethical issues involved in this tragic epidemic. AIDSportal WebsiteMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
General readers and students interested the science of HIV/AIDS, epidemiology, medical ethics, the social effects of the disease, and development and globalization. Readers studying medicine, sociology, economics and politics.
Illustrations
20 black & white illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 175 mm
Width: 110 mm
Thickness: 9 mm
Weight
142 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-280692-5 (9780192806925)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions

Book
11/2016
2nd Edition
Oxford University Press
€13.00
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Alan Whiteside OBE is CIGI Chair in Global Health at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, and Professor Emeritus at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He founded and was Executive Director of the Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division at that university. He has been involved with HIV and AIDS for over 30 years, and has followed its effects on both the economic and the personal level (having seen several colleagues die of AIDS). In 2015 he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to science and strategic interventions to curb HIV/AIDS. From 2003 to 2006 he was appointed by Kofi Annan to the Commission on HIV AIDS and Governance in Africa, and was an elected member and office bearer of the Governing Council International AIDS Society from 2000 to 2012.
Content
1. The emergence and state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic ; 2. How HIV/AIDS works and scientific responses ; 3. The factors that shape different epidemics ; 4. Illness, deaths, and populations ; 5. The impact of AIDS on production and people ; 6. AIDS and politics ; 7. Responding to HIV/AIDS ; 8. The next 25 years