Thursday, April 12, 2018
12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Joukowsky Forum
Most explanations for the epidemic spread of HIV-2 (the lesser known AIDS virus affecting 1.5 million) casually suggest migrations, urbanization, war, commercial sex, STDs and biomedicine as underlying reasons, but present little or no evidence to substantiate or differentiate them.
By complementing historical epidemiology and virology with history and anthropology this talk shows that disease and epidemics do not occur in a void or play out in independent computer models. The messy world of society, with its socio-cultural, economic and political influences, is thus central to understanding HIV epidemics. A thorough examination of historical developments and their link to virological research provides new evidence for understanding the emergence of HIV-2 and its role in the AIDS epidemic.