ABSTRACT
The acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), has become both a health crisis and a political crisis of exploding proportions. The devastating impact of AIDS is being felt worldwide. AIDS is a disease which knows no borders. Although this analysis focuses on the AIDS crisis in the United States, it is important to stress that AIDS is a worldwide epidemic. The high rates of AIDS which currently plague Central African countries and Haiti are intimately linked to their histories of underdevelopment. The disproportionate concentration of people of color among these risk groups clearly is a consequence of the deadly translation of racism to poverty and subsequent rates of drug abuse and ill health. The societal response to AIDS has been as complex and contentious as it has been callous. The scientific community’s reaction to AIDS was also initially hostile and inadequate, yet is now showing stronger signs of change than the general public’s.
