Dim Sum

• Field Notes

Dim Sum

AIDS - Taking a Long Term View
The aids2031 Consortium

The aids2031 Consortium is focused on the future of AIDS research, and the book, AIDS: Taking a Long Term View, is intended to introduce a fresh perspective on a decades old epidemic. The perception, understanding, and treatment of HIV/AIDS have obviously improved since its discovery decades ago. This book acknowledges that, while AIDS research and help has come a long way, there is urgent need for rapid improvement in order to drastically cut HIV infections and AIDS deaths by 2031, the fiftieth anniversary of AIDS.

However, rather than simply outlining a course of action to lead into the year 2031, it focuses on immediate action that will have the most dramatic future effects. It also focuses on what could be changed now to bring about a better and more efficient future in global health.

Family Secrets: Risking Reproduction in Central Mozambique
Rachel Chapman, Vanderbilt University Press

Rachel Chapman follows 83 women in Mozambique during their pregnancy and post-pregnancy to determine why some many women in Mozambique do not use the existing prenatal and maternity services. Pregnant herself while conducting the research, Chapman weaves personal narratives amid facts, figures, and data. She examines the different ways that women in Mozambique have responded to social and economic pressures that affect reproductive health. Her text highlights the incredible after-effects of war on the women of Mozambique. She examines the religious and cultural mythology surrounding birth in a respectful manner, combining her own experiences with excerpts of interviews and research.

Chapman’s approach remains academic throughout, but she is not afraid to invoke her own personal experiences and feelings regarding pregnancy. This only strengthens her narrative - she is, after all, examining the personal stories of women as they go through their pregnancy and birthing experiences. She manages to weave in the local mythos without undue judgment.

Family Secrets is an interesting and personal look at the culture of birthing in Mozambique, and offers a sensitive answer to the question of why women in central Mozambique avoid maternity services.

Snapshots from Southern Sudan
IntraHealth

This on-line photo essay from IntraHealth gives us an artful look into the world of Southern Sudan’s fight against HIV/AIDS. These intimate portraits by Trevor Snapp emphasize the new role of health infrastructure in today’s Sudan and help illustrate the work IntraHealth has done with the government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. The photos take us to military supported health care centers, and introduce doctors, soldiers, and mothers who are both leading and benefiting from the Reducing the Impact of HIV Project.

- Katrina Overland

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