Uneven Geographies and Treatment Challenges of People Living with HIV and AIDS: Perspectives from Geography

Approximately 36.7 million people are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and another 1.8 million are infected every year. As one of the biggest global health challenges, HIV attracts attention from researchers, government and non-government organizations (NGOs), and the pharmaceutical industry to discover better drugs/vaccines, stop the spread of the disease, and promote adherence to treatment. Progress in fighting HIV/AIDS has been geographically uneven with a huge burden on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Antiretroviral drugs (ARV), the only known way to prevent AIDS-related death, can be costly and legally challenging to produce and distribute in LMICs. While cost of treatment has decreased, challenges in countering HIV include access, the quality of care, and prevention. In this chapter, we examine the geographic aspects of HIV, ARV production, and the role of international stakeholders. We argue that inclusive innovation involving multi-stakeholder and multidisciplinary collaboration is critical for halting and reversing the trends.