This broad collection highlights the various ways agencies, cities, governments, and entire countries are creatively and successfully responding to the challenges presented by the HIV/AIDS health crisis. The stories illustrate how San Francisco is approaching its goal of zero new infections, how the U.S. federal government finally agreed to pay for needle exchanges to cut the spread of HIV among injecting drug users, and how New York City eliminated mother-to-child HIV infections. Other articles in the collection profile three African success stories; how Brazil fought off pressure from the pharmaceutical industry; securing term life insurance for those infected; how the Clinton administration pioneered free generic antiretroviral treatment for anyone who needed it; and how Lesotho is not only using lottery money to fund treatment, but also using taxi drivers to promote male circumcision.
- Male circumcision is an important tool to prevent the spread of AIDS. But offering access to circumcision doesn't mean men actually use it. What else has to happen?
- Why was Brazil the first country to make and distribute generic AIDS drugs, in defiance of American pressure? What was the effect of Brazil's action on its HIV/AIDS epidemic? What was the effect of Brazil's action on other countries? On the pharmaceutical industry? The U.S. government?
- Why do Ethiopia's Community Conversations work? What's the idea behind them? What other ways could that idea be used? Are there social problems for which that idea wouldn't be relevant?
- Why did insurance companies not offer life insurance to people with HIV even though it was commercially viable? How did the founders of Aequalis change that? What did they do that was persuasive? Why did it take an outsider to change things?
- Why did congress ban federal funds to support needle exchanges even after their value in preventing the spread of HIV was well-established? What changed things? Why does the question of who suffers from a disease seem to matter so much? Are some sick people more worthy of help than others? Why does the system treat them as if this were true?