Seth C. Kalichman

Lisa A. Eaton

Biomedical Advances in HIV Prevention: Social and Behavioral Perspectives Lisa A. Eaton and Seth C. Kalichman, editors Three decades into the epidemic, a great deal is known about HIV and its transmission, more people are living with the disease, and the virus is no longer seen as a death sentence. But new people continue to be infected with HIV each year, making prevention strategies that are medically effective and behaviorally engaging as urgent a priority as ever. Biomedical Advances in HIV Prevention: Social and Behavioral Perspectives assembles the latest improvements, barriers to implementation, and possibilities for--and challenges to--future progress. Innovations such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (antiretroviral regimens for the high-risk uninfected) and treatment as prevention (early use of ART to reduce infectiousness of new patients) are examined, as are current findings on ongoing prevention and treatment concerns. Contributors illuminate the complex realities entailing adherence, pointing out technological, behavioral, and cultural roadblocks as well as opportunities to significantly reduce infection rates. Detailed up-to-the-minute coverage includes: Prevention services for persons living with HIV Adherence to HIV treatment as prevention and pre-exposure prophylaxis Advocating for rectal microbicides and safe lubricants Mental health and substance use in the scale-up of HIV prevention Risk compensation in response to HIV prevention Implementing biomedical HIV prevention advances: reports from South Africa, Uganda, Australia, Thailand, United States, Ecuador, and Peru Researchers, practitioners, and policy makers working in the fields of HIV/AIDS and public health will look toward Biomedical Advances in HIV Prevention: Social and Behavioral Perspectives as both a means for developing and assessing current programs and a blueprint for the next generation of prevention efforts.

Social and Behavioral Perspectives

Biomedical Advances in HIV Prevention

Paralleling the discovery of HIV and the rise of the AIDS pandemic, a flock of naysayers has dedicated itself to replacing genuine knowledge with destructive misinformation—and spreading from the fringe to the mainstream media and the think tank. Now from the editor of the journal AIDS and Behavior comes a bold exposé of the scientific and sociopolitical forces involved in this toxic evasion. Denying AIDS traces the origins of AIDS dissidents disclaimers during the earliest days of the epidemic and delves into the psychology and politics of the current denial movement in its various incarnations. Seth Kalichman focuses not on the “difficult” or doubting patient, but on organized, widespread forms of denial (including the idea that HIV itself is a myth and HIV treatments are poison) and the junk science, faulty logic, conspiracy theories, and larger forces of homophobia and racism that fuel them. The malignant results of AIDS denial can be seen in those individuals who refuse to be tested, ignore their diagnoses, or reject the treatments that could save their lives. Instead of ignoring these currents, asserts Kalichman, science has a duty to counter them. Among the topics covered: Why AIDS denialism endures, and why science must understand it. Pioneer virus HIV researcher Peter Duesberg’s role in AIDS denialism. Flawed immunological, virological, and pharmacological pseudoscience studies that are central to texts of denialism. The social conservative agenda and the politics of AIDS denial, from the courts to the White House. The impact of HIV misinformation on public health in South Africa. Fighting fiction with reality: anti-denialism and the scientific community. For anyone affected by, interested in, or working with researchers in HIV/AIDS, and public health professionals in general, the insight and vision of Denying AIDS will inspire outrage, discussion, and ultimately action. See http://denyingaids.blogspot.com/ for more information.

Conspiracy Theories, Pseudoscience, and Human Tragedy

Denying AIDS

Leslie Swartz

Poul Rohleder

Leickness Chisamu Simbayi

Much has happened since the first appearance of AIDS in 1981: it has been identified, studied, and occasionally denied. The virus has shifted host populations and spread globally. Medicine, the social sciences, and world governments have joined forces to combat and prevent the disease. And South Africa has emerged as ground zero for the pandemic. The editors of HIV/AIDS in South Africa 25 Years On present the South African crisis as a template for addressing the myriad issues surrounding the epidemic worldwide, as the book brings together a widely scattered body of literature, analyzes psychosocial and sexual aspects contributing to HIV transmission and prevention, and delves into complex intersections of race, gender, class, and politics. Including largely overlooked populations and issues (e.g., prisoners, persons with disabilities, stigma), as well as challenges shaping future research and policy, the contributors approach their topics with rare depth, meticulous research, carefully drawn conclusions, and profound compassion. Among the topics covered: The relationship between HIV and poverty, starting from the question, "Which is the determinant and which is the consequence?" Epidemiology of HIV among women and men: concepts of femininity and masculinity, and gender inequities as they affect HIV risk; gender-specific prevention and intervention strategies. The impact of AIDS on infants and young children: risk and protective factors; care of children by HIV-positive mothers; HIV-infected children. Current prevention and treatment projects, including local-level responses, community-based work, and VCT (voluntary counseling and testing) programs. New directions: promoting circumcision, vaccine trials, "positive prevention." South Africa’s history of AIDS denialism. The urgent lessons in this book apply both globally and locally, making HIV/AIDS in South Africa 25 Years On uniquely instructive and useful for professionals working in HIV/AIDS and global public health.

Seth C. Kalichman

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