Mortal Combat: AIDS Denialism and the Struggle for Antiretrovirals in South Africa

by Nicoli Nattrass

Mortal Combat is a history of AIDS policy in South Africa. The book exposes the strategy and tactics of AIDS denialists and focuses on the struggle for antiretrovirals to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV and to extend the lives of people living with AIDS. *** "AIDS denialism has resulted in the deaths of at least hundreds of thousands of people. Nattrass's book provides an important service to the world and will save lives." - Mark Wainberg, Director of the McGill U. AIDS Centre, past President of the International AIDS Society, and co-chair of the Toronto 2006 AIDS Conference

Genres: Nonfiction, Africa, History, South Africa

269 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2007

About the author

Prof Nicoli Nattrass has been in the School of Economics at the University of Cape Town since 1991. During this time she has also held visiting appointments at Yale and Oxford. She has an undergraduate degree from Stellenbosch, an honours and masters degree from the University of Natal, and a masters in development economics and a doctorate (on Wages, Profits and Apartheid) from Oxford. She has won the UCT distinguished teachers award (in 2001) and her book ‘The Moral Economy of AIDS in South Africa’ won the UCT book award (in 2005) and the Venter Award (2008). She has published widely in the areas of economic policy and the political-economy of AIDS. She is author of 55 journal articles and 5 books.

Reviews

[AJ Payne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a really great overview of the debacle that has been the South African AIDS reaction. It's fairly disparaging towards the Mbeki regime, but with good reason. It's also backed by facts and documentation, so the remarks aren't without evidence.

It's probably the best book I have ever read on the South African HIV reaction. I highly recommend it, but it's a very academic book. It was written by through a University, so it reads sort of like an interesting dissertation.

I recommend it for any AIDS enthusiasts, or those who want to know more about why South Africa has more HIV positive people than any other country in the world.