IS AIDS A DISEASE OF POVERTY

This paper aims to begin to consider the evidence for AIDS as a diseas e of poverty. It seeks to describe the important influence of the soci al and economic context of HIV/AIDS and of those behaviours associated with HIV transmission, and argues for a shift in emphasis in the conc eptualization of the 'problem of AIDS'. The relationship between pover ty and AIDS is explored, particularly in relation to global economic d evelopment, urbanization, homelessness and the disintegration of neigh bourhoods, migration and systems of labour and production. Examples of socially-driven community-based responses to the prevention and contr ol of the HIV epidemic in diverse cultures are discussed and the need for new outcome measures for assessing community initiatives is propos ed.