Sizwe’s Test
Federal officials announced a major overhaul Tuesday of the government’s efforts to develop an AIDS vaccine. The move comes after a promising vaccine didn’t work and may have put people at risk of infection. Despite the setback, AIDS research conducted across the county, including at UAB, has turned a disease of death into a chronic disease that’s managed. But in sub-Saharan Africa where infection rates are highest, the image of the AIDS epidemic is much different. Journalist Jonny Steinberg traveled to a village in his native South Africa to gauge AIDS treatment away from western medical institutions. He followed Dr. Hermann Reuter of Doctors Without Borders, and Sizwe Magadla. He’s a successful, healthy, charismatic young man, who despite risky behavior in his past, refuses to test for AIDS. WBHM’s Andrew Yeager spoke with Jonny Steinberg.
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