Open AccessFraming HIV Prevention Discourse to Encompass the Complexities of War in Northern Uganda
Author(s) -
Michael Westerhaus,
Amy Finnegan,
Yoti Zabulon,
Joia Mukherjee
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2005.072777
Subject(s) - framing (construction) , vulnerability (computing) , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , politics , human rights , environmental health , inequality , criminology , medicine , political science , economic growth , sociology , geography , immunology , law , computer security , economics , mathematical analysis , mathematics , archaeology , computer science
In northern Uganda, physical and structural violence (political repression, economic inequality, and gender-based discrimination) increase vulnerability to HIV infection. In settings of war, traditional HIV prevention that solely promotes risk avoidance and risk reduction and assumes the existence of personal choice inadequately addresses the realities of HIV transmission. The design of HIV prevention strategies in northern Uganda must recognize how HIV transmission occurs and the factors that put people at risk for infection. A human rights approach provides a viable model for achieving this aim.