The only magic bullet is a long-term one

In AIDS. The challenge for South Africa, Alan Whiteside and Clem Sunter convey their information on AIDS with the fundamental conviction that “There is hope. We can win.” Significantly, in this book Whiteside and Sunter impart the simple method most likely to engineer an effective response to the AIDS epidemic, a sort of long-term magic bullet. Moreover, the authors attempt to provide a credible explanation on why HIV/AIDS has taken off so rapidly in South Africa. In short, AIDS. The challenge for South Africa affords us a momentary opportunity to disregard the ever-present squabbling, bickering, wrangling and quarrelling so characteristic of the AIDS world in South Africa. In the introduction to the book, the authors state that “Our key message is that, along with visible leadership from government and big business, the rest is up to each and every one of us making a small contribution in our own way. The battle against HIV and AIDS will only be won by millions of initiatives at grassroots level.”

Chapter one deals with the obligatory ‘What is HIV/AIDS?, How does it work, etc.’ microbiological orientation. The chapter starts with ‘A is for acquired’ and carries on to deal with such subjects as the speculated origin of the virus, methods of infection and treatment. Chapter two deals with the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS, thus the impact of HIV/AIDS on the population at large. In this chapter the reader is also introduced to the notions of incidence and prevalence, two concepts that the entire South African and global population might well profit from understanding. In chapter three the authors analyse the HIV/AIDS epidemic in its global proportions, evaluating the spread of the epidemic continent by continent so as to be able to answer the question why some continents are worse affected by HIV/AIDS than others. In the succeeding chapter (four) the authors progress to analyse the HIV/AIDS epidemic specifically in its South African context, outlining the history of the disease with a province-by-province breakdown. Interestingly, the authors attempt to also touch on the complex role of apartheid in the spread of the disease in South Africa.

In the integral chapter five, the authors endeavour to provide a theoretical framework to explain the rapid spread of the disease specifically in South Africa. “South African society,” state the authors, “is both particularly susceptible to the spread of HIV and particularly vulnerable to its impact.” The rate and spread of infection in South Africa (or any other country for that matter) are determined, Whiteside and Sunter hypothesize, by two variables, namely the degree of social cohesion in a society and the overall level of wealth. If this theory is applied to South Africa – a country which is adjudged to have low levels of social cohesion and relatively high incomes – then the rapidly spreading HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa is given theoretical clarification. In conclusion to this hypothesis Whiteside and Sunter state sombrely that “The country (South Africa) will be waging an uncivil war against an invisible enemy more ruthless than any human adversary.” What will be the nature of the ‘challenge’ this threat will pose (or is posing) to South Africa? In a word, states Whiteside and Sunter: “Enormous.”

In chapter six the authors venture to project the social and demographic impact of the epidemic in South Africa, with chapter seven dealing with the expected economic and developmental impact of HIV/AIDS. In this chapter, Whiteside and Sunter postulate that the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa is only expected to peak in 2010 - thus the worst of the epidemic is still to come. In chapter eight the authors analyse the impact of AIDS on the private sector in South Africa.

In the penultimate chapter (nine) Whiteside and Sunter analyse the role of the South African government in combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic since 1994. Outlined here we find the promising introduction and subsequent glorious failure of the National AIDS Convention of South Africa (NACOSA) plan, adopted by the government in 1994 to address the spread of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. The NACOSA plan was the forerunner of the current South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), headed by deputy-president Jacob Zuma.

In the concluding chapter (ten) the authors outline the key priorities in the AIDS challenge facing South Africa: “There is no easy answer, no quick fix, no magic bullet; Little things will make a difference; Everyone has a role to play; (and) We need leadership.” In a sober though hopeful concluding message, Whiteside and Sunter state that “Its all about action on many different fronts. Perhaps we will learn to care more for each other and exercise more responsibility in our sexual behaviour. Perhaps we will learn the true meaning of being a rainbow nation.”

In the last paragraph of the book, the authors re-affirm their long-term magic bullet – at present the only tangible effective response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa – with a moving call to action: “In the short term, the most important thing for us to do is to move on from the destructive debate on philosophical issues and formulate a multifaceted programme of action around which people can be mobilised and united…Only when we all put our shoulders to the wheel, will we beat the bug. For our children’s sake, let us not be found wanting!”