Book Review
''HIV/AIDS: A Very Short
Introduction'' by Alan Whiteside
Oxford University Press 2008
Reviewed by Shafinaaz Hassim
'AIDS is
already having a devastating impact on some countries. In Swaziland, the chance
of a 15-year-old boy living to 50 years is 28%, for a girl it is just 22%.
Before AIDS, it was 92% and 97% respectively. The UNDP estimated 2004 life
expectancy in Botswana to be 34.9 years. Populations in some African countries
are projected to decline. Reversing life expectancies and falling populations
are events unknown in the past 200 years. Economists question whether economic
growth is possible in these circumstances; sociologists and political
scientists have not begun to consider the ramifications'
(Whiteside, 2008, p125).
As part of a current
initiative of Very Short Introductions or VSI's with
Oxford University Press, a mini HIV/Aids manual was launched earlier this month
with Adams and Ikes Books in KwaZulu-Natal.
An acclaimed expert in
his field, Whiteside uses sometimes controversial but often necessary methods
to trace the origins of the disease and to identify how it is the powerless who
are most likely to be its victims. This
is illustrated in the striking claim that 'the
epidemic has found its most fertile locations in parts of the world where there
is poverty and inequity, especially where this is gendered' (p22). Further, he makes the supposition and subsequent
recommendation that 'AIDS is not a threat
to the human species. It is located among the poorest and most marginalized in
our society, whether they be the indigenous people of Canada; the drug users in
Dublin; or entire nations, the Malawians or Swazi. This means global responses,
however grounded in common sense and self-interest, need to be driven by
responsibility and compassion' (p124).
Of special
significance is the multitude of sociological inference drawn from his work on
HIV/AIDS. Like increasingly popular opinion, Whiteside likens social
consciousness and mobilization around HIV/AIDS in South Africa to that of the
fight against apartheid. The imagery painted within the pages of this book
makes one think of the gathering together of cattle in fear of a brewing storm;
and at many points, Whiteside manages to portray the severity of this often
mutable virus that is HIV/AIDS. With the use of epidemic curves, Whiteside is
able to explain how by managing to contain and decrease the prevalence
of the disease, the decrease in its impact on the social network of
victims, families and society should not be taken for granted. For example, in 'South Africa, where HIV prevalence may not have peaked, the number of
orphans could still be rising in 2020' (p5).
However, in light of
the grave concerns that are raised within the text, his suggestion that 'the future of HIV/AIDS is, epidemiologically speaking, reasonably
predictable', is not entirely convincing (p5). He
goes on to say that 'unless the virus
mutates and becomes more easily transmitted, it will be contained' (since) 'science is advancing?technological prevention methods, such as microbicides and vaccines,
are being developed, although these are still some years away' (p5). The resignation inherent in the latter part of this statement
raises far more questions than possible solutions. Also, while Whiteside
provokes significant thoughts around whether AIDS should be treated as a crisis
or a development issue, he makes no bones about the fact that there is, as yet,
no cure, only very expensive treatments that leave hope far out of reach of
those who are most in need of it.
Works such as these
will seek, no doubt, to engage the readership in much debate around a topic
that vilifies people. Most are afraid more of what is not known to them.
There still exists a
kind of veil over the issue of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases in
general. And this may prove to be a contender for writings that reveal, without
prejudice, the serious nature of understanding the dynamic of the epidemic.
Whiteside believes
that HIV/AIDS will reveal itself to be a narrative for the history books in time
to come, just as long as we look to the past for templates as to how previous
epidemics were obliterated.
The HIV/AIDS VSI
successfully reveals and interrogates the impact that the pandemic has had on
people around the world, and the blurb identifies that 'this
thought-provoking and at times polemic book explores how we can and must
respond'. That it manages to do so in a
scientific, yet concise and easy-to-read manner is what makes the VSI range
both popular and necessary as pocket-friendly sources of knowledge. For more on
these works, visit www.oup.co.uk/vsi
Shafinaaz Hassim is a
lecturer at the Department of Sociology, UKZN