HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh

Book excerpt: This book aims to show the conditions and behaviors of vulnerable and marginalized people in Bangladesh which put them at risk of HIV/AIDS infection, and what their adopted coping strategies are and how these play out. In addition, the book seeks to gain an understanding of the perceptions of civil society and policy planners with respect to vulnerability to HIV, and the necessary mitigation measures. While there is much published literature on the epidemiology and etiology for the most at-risk groups in the region, there has not yet been any in-depth research concerning the socio-cultural and geographic impacts of HIV issues in Bangladesh. Almost all of the literature shows HIV as an epidemiological problem rather than investigating it from a social or cultural point of view, and still less using qualitative methods. The present work is an endeavor to fill these gaps by providing valuable qualitative field data to demonstrate the causes of HIV risk and vulnerability, and to examine the nature of the social and locational context of HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh and to assist with health care policy planning. The book will be of use to students and researchers, studying public health, health geography, medical sociology, medical anthropology, social psychology and social epidemiology, and to professionals in the fields of development, community medicine, health management and social policy.