The book tells the story of the epidemic from a broad variety of perspectives: biomedical, social, cultural, economic and political. The authors are leading experts and include both the infected and the affected, be they doctors or former drug users, United Nations employees or gay men, public health researchers or community activists.

They describe how, from the first documented cases in 1981 to the present era of antiretroviral management, controlling HIV in Europe has proven elusive. The chapters not only analyse the past and survey the present, but suggest how to move forward towards two fundamental goals: universal treatment and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The publication as available for download in PDF (1.4MB) from the WHO Regional Office for Europe website:

http://www.euro.who.int/InformationSources/Publications/Catalogue/20051123_2