“‘It all started with a rumour,” the chief epidemiologist later reflected. ‘Then we found we were dealing with a disease. Then we realised that it was an epidemic. And, now we have accepted it as a tragedy.'”

Historian John Iliffe writes an incredible account of the origins and spread of an epidemic in Africa. One of the most fascinating features of the story is the different ways in which the disease was spread within different regions–with the sex trade important in Kigali and Nairobi, youth and sexual promiscuity in Kinshasa, to fisherman populations and retreating soldiers in western Uganda. Different demographics, sexual mores, cultural practices, economic relations and migration patterns led to vastly different populations at risk, different routes of transmission, and, ultimately, different solutions.

It’s worth noting that Iliffe has also written one of my favorite books on African history.

I also can’t let the oppotunity pass to say how much I love James Curry Publishers, who produce the most fantastic volumes on Africa.