Vulnerabilities, Impacts, and Responses to HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa

Almost four decades since AIDS was first reported in Africa, the epidemic has reached a watershed moment where progress in prevention, care and support programs confronts intransigent socioeconomic and gender rights barriers and emerging funding uncertainties. While there are grounds for cautious optimism that the incidence of HIV infections and AIDS-related mortality can be further reduced, they cannot, by themselves, end the epidemic. This will require overcoming gendered inequalities, HIV stigma and neglect of high-risk youth and socially peripheralized groups.

Table of Contents:
Introduction; Getnet Tadele PART I 1. Contextualizing HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Link with Tradition, Religion, and Culture; Getnet Tadele and Woldekidan Amde 2. Gender Inequalities, Power Relations and HIV/AIDS: Exploring the Interface; Ayalew Gebre, Tekalign Ayalew and Helmut Kloos 3. Youth Sexuality and HIV/AIDS: Issues and Contentions; Woldekidan Amde and Getnet Tadele 4. Food Insecurity, Poverty, and HIV/AIDS; Ayalew Gebre, Sebsib Belay and Helmut Kloos PART II: IMPACTS AND RESPONSES TO HIV/AIDS 5. Socioeconomic and Psychosocial Impacts of HIV/AIDS and Responses at Different Levels of Society; Ayalew Gebre, Damtew Yirgu and Helmut Kloos 6. HIV/AIDS and the Mining and Commercial Agricultural Sectors in Southern Africa; Charles Hongoro, Getnet Tadele and Helmut Kloos 7. Access to Treatment, Care, Support, and Prevention Services; Getnet Tadele, Woldekidan Amde and Helmut Kloos 8. Care and Support for AIDS Orphans; Woldekidan Amde and Getnet Tadele 9. Mainstreaming HIV Interventions into Educational Systems; Anne A. Khasakhala 10. Monitoring and Evaluation of HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs; Anne A. Khasakhala and Helmut Kloos 11. Ethical Issues in HIV/AIDS Biomedical Research; Anne A. Khasakhala and Helmut Kloos Conclusion and the Way Forward; Damen Haile Mariam and Helmut Kloos

About the Author :
Getnet Tadele is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology of Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. His research interests are in child and adolescent issues, sexuality, HIV/AIDS, and other health problems. He has carried out several consultancy projects and evaluations for a number of NGOs and UN agencies in the field of health science and recently conducted field research on livelihoods, economic strengthening and HIV/AIDS, PMTCT and private health sector involvement in sexual and reproductive health services delivery in Ethiopia. Helmut Kloos, was Associate Professor at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. Since his retirement he has continued his life-long research interest in African health problems and mentoring of Ethiopian students. His recent publications include articles on accessibility of HIV/AIDS services, HIV risk, and annual bibliographic updates of HIV/AIDS research in Ethiopia.

Review :
'This book provides a wealth of fine grained detail about the unfolding HIV/AIDS epidemic and the expanding interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa, and particularly in eastern and southern Africa. Most HIV prevention programmes in Africa have failed because biomedically orientated actors have failed to adequately address the social, cultural, economic and political context of HIV/AIDS and human sexuality, disease impacts and interventions. This book goes some way to addressing that gap and provides new and relevant information for health planners, administrators, students and researchers, thus representing a major achievement by the ten authors and two editors.' - Anne Scott, University of Canterbury, New Zealand 'This book can inform undergraduate and graduate students of public health, and epidemiology, clinical medicine, African studies, medical anthropology and medical sociology, as well as health planners, health administrators, and NGO staff. Thus it may contribute to accelerating the current decline in HIV incidence and AIDS mortality and promote adequate and sustainable care for the still growing number of patients, orphans, and other affected people.' - Ahmed Ali, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia