"“Get back to where you once belonged”": monitoring the AIDS pandemic in the 21st century

Résumé 0

"Abstract This paper reviews the concepts andmethodological strategies that have shaped themonitoring of the AIDS pandemic, today in itsthird decade. A deliberate effort was made to highlightaspects usually forgotten by the canon. Thepaper aims to track the footsteps of the evolvingstrategies in the field of surveillance & monitoring,with the help of disciplines such as epidemiology,molecular biology, social, and behavioralsciences. The deep divide that opposes societiesseverely affected by the epidemic and affluent societiesmuch less affected by the epidemic is contrastedwith the scarce human and financial resourcesof the societies facing harshest epidemicvis-à-vis the comprehensiveness of the responseto the epidemic in their affluent counterparts interms of the scope and high standards of theirinitiatives on monitoring, prevention, management& care. The pressing need to implement feasiblealternatives to the current sophisticated andexpensive ones is briefly discussed. Beyond therenewed challenge posed to the creativity of scientistsand health professionals, the AIDS pandemicis described as a major public health crisis,compromising the social fabric in some contexts,and as a never fulfilled calling for an ethics ofsolidarity between different societies and differentsocial strata of each given society."