Health Policy and Planning Advance Access originally published online on July 23, 2007
Health Policy and Planning 2007 22(5):344-347; doi:10.1093/heapol/czm023
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Coming back from the dead: living with HIV as a chronic condition in rural Africa
1School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
2Global AIDS Program, National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Entebbe, Uganda.
* Corresponding author. School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK. E-mail: s.russell{at}uea.ac.uk
Scaling-up of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in resource-poor settings has dramatically reduced mortality and morbidity for those with access, but considerable challenges remain for people who are trying to live with HIV as a manageable chronic condition. A return to normal life for people on ART depends on the assurance of an uninterrupted, affordable and accessible supply of medication. However, many poor people also require economic support to re-establish their livelihoods, particularly where productive and financial assets have been depleted because of long-term illness. ART programmes need to seek convergence with economic programmes that have expertise in livelihood support and promotion, and with social protection initiatives. The future for those on ART depends not only on the provision of medicine but also on economic and social support for rebuilding lives and livelihoods.
Key Words: HIV, anti-retroviral therapy, chronic illness, normalization, Africa, Uganda
Accepted for publication 1 May 2007.