Denying AIDS

Denying AIDS
Author: Seth C. Kalichman
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2009-01-16
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 038779476X

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.

Ashamed to Die

Ashamed to Die
Author: Andrew J. Skerritt
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2011
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 1569769575

By focusing on a small town in South Carolina, this study of the HIV/AIDS crisis in the South reveals the hard truths of an ongoing and complex issue. Skerritt contends that the United States has failed to adequately address the threat of HIV and AIDS in communities of color and that taboos about love, race, and sexualitycombined with Southern conservatism, white privilege, and black oppressioncontinue to create an unacceptable death toll. The heartbreak of Americas failure comes alive through case studies of individuals such as Carolyn, a wild child whose rebellion coincided with the advent of AIDS, and Nita, a young woman searching for love and trapped in an abusive relationship. The results are most visible at the towns segregated burial ground where dozens of young black men and women who have died from AIDS are laid to rest. Not only a call to action and awareness, this is a true story of how persons of faith, enduring love, and limitless forgiveness can inspire others by serving as guides for poor communities facing a public health threat burdened with conflicting moral and social conventions.

Genocide by Denial

Genocide by Denial
Author: Peter Mugyenyi
Publisher: Fountain Press, Limited
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2008
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

This book traces the carnage of HIV/AIDS from its Ugandan epicentre in the villages of Kasensero, along the shores of Lake Victoria, through sub-Saharan Africa and onto the rest of the world.

HIV and the Blood Supply

HIV and the Blood Supply
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 349
Release: 1995-10-05
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309053293

During the early years of the AIDS epidemic, thousands of Americans became infected with HIV through the nation's blood supply. Because little reliable information existed at the time AIDS first began showing up in hemophiliacs and in others who had received transfusions, experts disagreed about whether blood and blood products could transmit the disease. During this period of great uncertainty, decision-making regarding the blood supply became increasingly difficult and fraught with risk. This volume provides a balanced inquiry into the blood safety controversy, which involves private sexual practices, personal tragedy for the victims of HIV/AIDS, and public confidence in America's blood services system. The book focuses on critical decisions as information about the danger to the blood supply emerged. The committee draws conclusions about what was doneâ€"and recommends what should be done to produce better outcomes in the face of future threats to blood safety. The committee frames its analysis around four critical area: Product treatmentâ€"Could effective methods for inactivating HIV in blood have been introduced sooner? Donor screening and referralâ€"including a review of screening to exlude high-risk individuals. Regulations and recall of contaminated bloodâ€"analyzing decisions by federal agencies and the private sector. Risk communicationâ€"examining whether infections could have been averted by better communication of the risks.

AIDS and Power

AIDS and Power
Author: Alex de Waal
Publisher: Zed Books
Total Pages: 162
Release: 2006-07
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 9781842777077

Publisher Description

The Social Impact of AIDS in the United States

The Social Impact of AIDS in the United States
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 337
Release: 1993-02-01
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309046289

Europe's "Black Death" contributed to the rise of nation states, mercantile economies, and even the Reformation. Will the AIDS epidemic have similar dramatic effects on the social and political landscape of the twenty-first century? This readable volume looks at the impact of AIDS since its emergence and suggests its effects in the next decade, when a million or more Americans will likely die of the disease. The Social Impact of AIDS in the United States addresses some of the most sensitive and controversial issues in the public debate over AIDS. This landmark book explores how AIDS has affected fundamental policies and practices in our major institutions, examining: How America's major religious organizations have dealt with sometimes conflicting values: the imperative of care for the sick versus traditional views of homosexuality and drug use. Hotly debated public health measures, such as HIV antibody testing and screening, tracing of sexual contacts, and quarantine. The potential risk of HIV infection to and from health care workers. How AIDS activists have brought about major change in the way new drugs are brought to the marketplace. The impact of AIDS on community-based organizations, from volunteers caring for individuals to the highly political ACT-UP organization. Coping with HIV infection in prisons. Two case studies shed light on HIV and the family relationship. One reports on some efforts to gain legal recognition for nonmarital relationships, and the other examines foster care programs for newborns with the HIV virus. A case study of New York City details how selected institutions interact to give what may be a picture of AIDS in the future. This clear and comprehensive presentation will be of interest to anyone concerned about AIDS and its impact on the country: health professionals, sociologists, psychologists, advocates for at-risk populations, and interested individuals.

The AIDS Conspiracy

The AIDS Conspiracy
Author: Nicoli Nattrass
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2012
Genre: History
ISBN: 0231149123

Examines conspiracy theories surrounding HIV and AIDS, focusing on two main widely believed falsehoods--that America manufactured AIDS to be a biological weapon and the belief that HIV is harmless and the true cause of AIDS are antiretroviral drugs.

Choosing Unsafe Sex

Choosing Unsafe Sex
Author: Elisa Janine Sobo
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Total Pages: 252
Release: 1995
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780812215533

Choosing Unsafe Sex focuses on the ways in which condom refusal and beliefs regarding HIV testing reflect women's hopes for their relationships and their desires to preserve status and self-esteem. It also discusses the related issue of seropositivity concealment or non-disclosure. Many of the inner-city women who participated in Dr. Sobo's research were seriously involved with one man, and they had heavy emotional and social investments in believing or maintaining that their partners were faithful to them. Uninvolved women had similarly heavy investments in their abilities to identify or choose potential partners who were HIV-negative. In either case, women sought to present and to view themselves as wise and their men as monogamous. Women did not see themselves as being at risk for HIV infection, and so they saw no need for condoms. But they did recommend that other women use them; they saw other women as quite likely to be involved with sexually unfaithful men. Choosing Unsafe Sex includes recommendations for educational strategies that are sensitive to cultural expectations for relationships. Dr. Sobo's findings have significance not only for inner-city HIV/AIDS educators but for all who seek a deeper understanding of mainstream assumptions about heterosexual relationships.

Preventing HIV Transmission

Preventing HIV Transmission
Author: National Research Council and Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 352
Release: 1995-09-14
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309176212

This volume addresses the interface of two major national problems: the epidemic of HIV-AIDS and the widespread use of illegal injection drugs. Should communities have the option of giving drug users sterile needles or bleach for cleaning needs in order to reduce the spread of HIV? Does needle distribution worsen the drug problem, as opponents of such programs argue? Do they reduce the spread of other serious diseases, such as hepatitis? Do they result in more used needles being carelessly discarded in the community? The panel takes a critical look at the available data on needle exchange and bleach distribution programs, reaches conclusions about their efficacy, and offers concrete recommendations for public policy to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS. The book includes current knowledge about the epidemiologies of HIV/AIDS and injection drug use; characteristics of needle exchange and bleach distribution programs and views on those programs from diverse community groups; and a discussion of laws designed to control possession of needles, their impact on needle sharing among injection drug users, and their implications for needle exchange programs.