Saturday Is for Funerals

by Dow, Unity

• ISBN13: 9780674050778
• ISBN10: 0674050770
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-05-03
• Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr

Summary

In the year 2000 the World Health Organization estimated that 85 percent of fifteen-year-olds in Botswana would eventually die of AIDS. In Saturday Is for Funerals we learn why that won't happen.

Unity Dow and Max Essex tell the true story of lives ravaged by AIDS—of orphans, bereaved parents, and widows; of families who devote most Saturdays to the burial of relatives and friends. We witness the actions of community leaders, medical professionals, research scientists, and educators of all types to see how an unprecedented epidemic of death and destruction is being stopped in its tracks.

This book describes how a country responded in a time of crisis. In the true-life stories of loss and quiet heroism, activism and scientific initiatives, we learn of new techniques that dramatically reduce rates of transmission from mother to child, new therapies that can save lives of many infected with AIDS, and intricate knowledge about the spread of HIV, as well as issues of confidentiality, distributive justice, and human rights. The experiences of Botswana offer practical lessons along with the critical element of hope.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
A Family of Funerals: The Epidemic	p. 5
I Know You Still Love Me: Sexual Transmission	p. 17
Masego and Katlego: Mother-to-Child Transmission	p. 30
Mandla Gets Tested: Diagnosis of HIV Infection	p. 48
The Death of Mma Monica: AIDS Disease in Adults and Availability of Treatment	p. 57
Naledi and Her Nephew Shima: AIDS in Children	p. 67
It Is the Will of God: HIV and Tuberculosis	p. 79
Walking Skeletons and Hesitant Hugs: Toxicities and Resistance to Drugs Used to Treat HIV/AIDS	p. 87
The Page Is Turning Red: Blood Transfusion as a Risk for HIV Infection	p. 102
A Tribal Tradition: Male Circumcision to Prevent HIV Infection	p. 116
A Matter of Commitment: Development of an HIV Vaccine	p. 123
Ancestral Control: Evil Spirits and HIV as the Cause of AIDS	p. 133
He Died in China: Fear and Stigma	p. 147
Opelo's Rebellion: Issues of Adolescents and Women	p. 158
Desperation for Pono: Orphans of HIV/AIDS	p. 167
Government Action Makes a Difference: A Nation Responds	p. 180
Glossary	p. 189
Further Reading	p. 203
Index	p. 213
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.