Abstract

Despite global acknowledgement of HIV/AIDS reaching pandemic proportions with 37.8 million people (WHO/UNAIDS 2004) living with the infection, progress towards developing effective international responses to curb its spread has been slow. The focus of current debate tends to focus on the medical treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS, leading to emphasis being placed on the rapid increase in HIV infection as well as opportunistic diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria. The traditional view of responding to these challenges has been probing the high cost factors associated with antiretroviral treatment and burgeoning medical care needs. This article argues that these responses are limited in their effect as they have a narrow, medical focus. This article presents a broader perspective. It investigates the implications of HIV/AIDS to the goals of national sustainable development using theoretical standpoints provided by reflexive modernization, namely, the concepts of risk and reflexive judgement. Attention is given to those regions of the world—Africa and Asia—where HIV/AIDS are acute policy issues.