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Black Death: AIDS in Africa
by Susan Hunter
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Paperback
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
To the surprise of many, George W. Bush pledged $10 billion to combat AIDS in developing nations. Noted specialist Susan Hunter tells the untold story of AIDS in Africa, home to 80 percent of the 40 million people in the world currently infected with HIV. She weaves together the history of colonialism in Africa, an insider's take on the reluctance of drug companies to provide cheap medication and vaccines in poor countries, and personal anecdotes from the 20 years she spent in Africa working on the AIDS crisis. Taken together, these strands make it unmistakably clear that a history of the exploitation of developing nations by the West is directly responsible for the spread of disease in developing nations and the AIDS pandemic in Africa. Hunter looks at what Africans are already doing on the ground level to combat AIDS, and what the world can and must do to help. Accessibly written and hard-hitting, Black Death brings the staggering statistics to life and paints for the first time a stunning picture of the most important political issue today.
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| Read with a grain of salt |
| Customer Rating: 2 out of 5 |
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This is one of five books I've read for a Geography of Health and Disease class at the University of Washington, and by far the least informative of all. Quite a few of the statements in this book are contradictory, if not flat out wrong; the errors I found were on secondary issues (facts that Ms. Hunter states about other diseases, such as River Blindness) but it makes me wonder how accurate the rest of her data is. Because of the way information is cited in the book (no citations within paragraphs, but a very long bibliography at the end) it is also difficult to see exactly where some of her data is coming from and whether it is still accurate.
This book was written several years ago, and though a few of her predictions have come true, the majority have not and the reader should keep this in mind if they desire a truly accurate, up-to-date picture of this crisis.
I agree that this disease, and especially the plight of those in Africa, should be of serious concern to us in the USA. I do not think that this book is the best source of information about how to deal with this crisis, but rather a good snapshot of one person's opinion about who is to blame for it. One of the biggest downfalls of the book, in my opinion, is her use of generalizations and fictional characters.
I highly recommend Helen Epstein's "The Invisible Cure" as she writes as an actual scientist with a much more scholarly approach, cites her sources more clearly, and presents some real data on programs that have (and haven't) actually worked in Africa. She also points the finger and leaves the reader with much to consider, but does so in a more credible way, with fewer generalizations and, I believe, much more real data and interviews to inform the reader.
Thanks!
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| A MUST-READ for anyone interested in the HIV / AIDS crisis |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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In the first few pages of her book, Susan Hunter explains that HIV / AIDS is the first new disease on our planet since the 1400s; it is the leading infectious disease threat in the world today, outpacing tuberculosis and malaria by 2:1. It is the first disease to be considered a global threat to both national and international security. By 2010, the global human death toll from this disease will be higher than the COMBINED casualties of WWI, WWII, the Civil War, the Bolshevik Revolution, the first Chinese Communist War, the Spanish Civil War, the Taiping Rebellion, the Great War in La Plata and the partition of India. Every 18 months, more people die from HIV / AIDS than during the Holocaust. In some parts of Africa, they literally are running out of land to bury the bodies. Ms. Hunter, with her years of experience working with the UN on Africa, is in a unique position to offer an assessment of the effects of this disease on that continent as well as predictions of its spread globally. In the United States, many have become complacent about HIV / AIDS, believing that this is a disease which can be controlled with a few pills -- and as a result, HIV / AIDS infection is on the rise in the U.S. once again. Ms. Hunter's descriptions bring the realities of HIV / AIDS back into sharp, painful focus. This remains a terminal illness: in the U.S., HIV / AIDS mortality is back on the rise, as many develop complications with / from their medication treatments. Ms. Hunter's book reminds us that if we do not take action in the areas of disease prevention, education, and access to basic health care, we will face a Holocaust each year as a result of HIV / AIDS. Even in the U.S. where many have access to the medications, HIV / AID has become the leading cause of death among 18-34 year olds, as well as the third leading cause of death AMONG ALL AGE GROUPS in the U.S. READ THIS BOOK!
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