- Date
- Spring-Summer 2004
It has been more than two decades since HIV was clinically identified as the cause of AIDS. In that time, HIV/AIDS has mushroomed into a global epidemic—often working in tandem with other devastating diseases such as tuberculosis, now the biggest killer of those who develop AIDS. The epidemic has wreaked havoc in Africa, caused hundreds of thousands of deaths in North and South America, and is now spreading at an alarming rate in Southeast Asia, Russia, and other parts of the former Soviet Union.
The Spring-Summer 2004 issue of Open Society News, the Soros foundations network newsletter, describes the challenges and evolving approaches to providing care and compassion to those living with HIV/AIDS as well as members of marginalized groups at risk for HIV infection, such as prisoners and drug users. One story examines the soaring HIV and TB infection rates in Russian prisons and how prisons incubate these diseases. The clear but often overlooked conclusion is that improving inmate health and prison conditions is crucial to public health. Other stories examine injecting drug use, a major cause for the spread of HIV in many countries, and challenge policies that punish drug users and regard them as incapable of adhering to antiretroviral treatment regimens. Another article cautions against relying on simplistic, universalized formulas that ignore the varied forms of oppression that make many women vulnerable to HIV infection.
As these and other stories in this issue demonstrate, the multiple problems created by HIV/AIDS and TB will never be solved by shunning or ignoring certain groups or parts of the world. Rather, they are challenges that demand a coordinated global response.