In this Book
- Lethal Decisions: The Unnecessary Deaths of Women and Children from HIV/AIDS
- Book
- 2017
- Published by: Vanderbilt University Press
summary
This first-person account by one of the pioneers of HIV/AIDS research chronicles the interaction among the pediatric HIV/AIDS community, regulatory bodies, governments, and activists over more than three decades. After the discovery of AIDS in a handful of infants in 1981, the next fifteen years showed remarkable scientific progress in prevention and treatment, although blood banks, drug companies, and bureaucrats were often slow to act. 1996 was a watershed year when scientific and clinical HIV experts called for treating all HIV-infected individuals with potent triple combinations of antiretroviral drugs that had been proven effective. Aggressive implementation of prevention and treatment in the United States led to marked declines in the number of HIV-related deaths, fewer new infections and hospital visits, and fewer than one hundred infants born infected each year.
Inexplicably, the World Health Organization recommended withholding treatment for the majority of HIV-infected individuals in poor countries, and clinical researchers embarked on studies to evaluate inferior treatment approaches even while the pandemic continued to claim the lives of millions of women and children. Why did it take an additional twenty years for international health organizations to recommend the treatment and prevention measures that had had such a profound impact on the pandemic in wealthy countries? The surprising answers are likely to be debated by medical historians and ethicists.
At last, in 2015, came a universal call for treating all HIV-infected individuals with triple-combination antiretroviral drugs. But this can only be accomplished if the mistakes of the past are rectified. The book ends with recommendations on how the pediatric HIV/AIDS epidemic can finally be brought to an end.
Inexplicably, the World Health Organization recommended withholding treatment for the majority of HIV-infected individuals in poor countries, and clinical researchers embarked on studies to evaluate inferior treatment approaches even while the pandemic continued to claim the lives of millions of women and children. Why did it take an additional twenty years for international health organizations to recommend the treatment and prevention measures that had had such a profound impact on the pandemic in wealthy countries? The surprising answers are likely to be debated by medical historians and ethicists.
At last, in 2015, came a universal call for treating all HIV-infected individuals with triple-combination antiretroviral drugs. But this can only be accomplished if the mistakes of the past are rectified. The book ends with recommendations on how the pediatric HIV/AIDS epidemic can finally be brought to an end.
Table of Contents
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- Acknowledgments
- pp. xi-xiv
- I. The Beginning
- pp. 1-2
- 1. Pediatric HIV/AIDS
- pp. 3-12
- 2. AIDS and Blood
- pp. 13-16
- 4. A Personal Tragedy
- pp. 23-28
- 5. Finding the Cause of AIDS
- pp. 29-33
- 7. The Denialist Movement
- pp. 40-50
- II. Pediatric AIDS Becomes a Reality
- pp. 51-52
- 18. Why Wait? Start Now
- pp. 152-159
- 20. Pediatric AIDS and Drug Development
- pp. 165-175
- 21. Acronyms and Legislative Redundancy
- pp. 176-180
- 23. Guidelines Can Become Rules
- pp. 191-199
- 24. Treatment Guidelines: Not without Risks
- pp. 200-208
- IV. Stalled: Losing Sight of the Mission
- pp. 209-210
- 25. Damn the Ethics, Full Speed Ahead
- pp. 211-219
- 26. The Tyranny of Research
- pp. 220-232
- 27. Misspent Dollars
- pp. 233-241
- 29. Turning the Corner
- pp. 246-252
- V. Ending the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Epidemic
- pp. 253-254
- 30. What Went Well
- pp. 255-264
- 31. PEPFAR to the Rescue
- pp. 265-271
- 32. Solutions
- pp. 272-292
- Conclusion
- pp. 293-296
- References
- pp. 339-362
Additional Information
ISBN
9780826521262
Related ISBN(s)
9780826521248, 9780826521255
MARC Record
OCLC
940455420
Pages
392
Launched on MUSE
2017-02-14
Language
English
Open Access
No