Swaziland: AIDS in Context

"Swaziland now holds the dubious title of [having] the highest [HIV] prevalence level in the world. ... [It] is a vivid microcosm of all the similarly afflicted countries of Southern Africa. At the grass roots, where it counts, there's a superhuman determination to bring the pandemic to heel, and to overcome the tremendous assault on the human condition." This is according to Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa. Lewis highlights innovative national Swazi plans, supported by the World Health Organisation, for stepping up response to the pandemic. But Swaziland is also representative of other countries in that in practice implementation is still painfully slow. And other obstacles, ranging from U.S. congressional delays on trade legislation to Swaziland's own unresolved issues of democracy and women's rights, may still overwhelm the positive momentum of national efforts, according to a briefing on HIV/AIDS in Swaziland by the Africa Focus Bulletin.