OSI’s Public Health Program hosted a presentation by Helen Epstein on her groundbreaking new book The Invisible Cure: Africa, the West, and the Fight Against AIDS (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
The Invisible Cure argues that the very institutions designed to lead the global response to HIV/AIDS may in fact be undermining community responses to the epidemic. For years, scientists and public health officials have misunderstood the HIV epidemic in Africa, and this has led to the development of public health programs that have been less effective than they might have been. While there is no “magic bullet” against AIDS, the most effective measures to fight it may be simpler than many people imagine.
The event was introduced by Jonathan Cohen, director of the OSI Law and Health Initiative. Aryeh Neier, president of the Open Society Institute, moderated the discussion.