Background
As the AIDS epidemic has evolved, the need to understand responses in the context of broad development strategies has become clear. On one hand, successful efforts to prevent the spread of infection and mitigate its impact depend on a variety of social, economic and institutional factors. On the other hand, the AIDS epidemic strongly affects efforts to reduce poverty and reduce the impact of non AIDS-related shocks.
The early public health perspective and funding encouraged a vertical approach to HIV and AIDS.
As the shortcomings of the vertical approach began to be recognised, there were increasing calls for the response to HIV and AIDS to be integrated with development, gender, and reproductive and sexual health approaches. Yet the development research community was relatively slow to take on board the real implications of the AIDS crisis until relatively recently. Early research and policies were based primarily on an understanding of HIV and AIDS as a medical problem. But standard public health responses were largely not successful as over 40 million people worldwide are now HIV positive, highlighting the fact that measures to support affected people and their communities require more than medical care.
Much needs to be done, but not simply more of the same. HIV and AIDS affect all sectors of society: approaches that work across and between sectors are needed to establish and support strategies appropriate for affected communities. New approaches can build on the wealth of experiences that has accumulated. Communities have been living and coping with HIV and AIDS for a long time, and a great deal can be learned from how they have adapted. We need to build on the many lessons that have been learned and find ways to make these lessons widely available.
People living with HIV and AIDS and their communities are central to any successful HIV strategy.
What is imperative is that communities not only participate in but drive the response. Research and policy need to engage more where this is beginning to happen and to ensure that this is facilitated on a broader scale.
The early public health perspective and funding encouraged a vertical approach to HIV and AIDS.
As the shortcomings of the vertical approach began to be recognised, there were increasing calls for the response to HIV and AIDS to be integrated with development, gender, and reproductive and sexual health approaches. Yet the development research community was relatively slow to take on board the real implications of the AIDS crisis until relatively recently. Early research and policies were based primarily on an understanding of HIV and AIDS as a medical problem. But standard public health responses were largely not successful as over 40 million people worldwide are now HIV positive, highlighting the fact that measures to support affected people and their communities require more than medical care.
Much needs to be done, but not simply more of the same. HIV and AIDS affect all sectors of society: approaches that work across and between sectors are needed to establish and support strategies appropriate for affected communities. New approaches can build on the wealth of experiences that has accumulated. Communities have been living and coping with HIV and AIDS for a long time, and a great deal can be learned from how they have adapted. We need to build on the many lessons that have been learned and find ways to make these lessons widely available.
People living with HIV and AIDS and their communities are central to any successful HIV strategy.
What is imperative is that communities not only participate in but drive the response. Research and policy need to engage more where this is beginning to happen and to ensure that this is facilitated on a broader scale.
