COVID-19 pandemic: lessons from the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Southern Africa

Using Malawi as a case study, this commentary takes a retrospective view of the HIV/AIDS epidemic to draw lessons about the spread of, and government response to, Covid-19 in Southern Africa. With the legacy of colonialism and the distortions wrought in by structural adjustment programs still alive, we argue that the same factors that propelled the spread of HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa continue to shape vulnerability and response to Covid-19 in decisive ways. Understanding the geography and political ecology of HIV/AIDS is key to discerning the social and political determinants of Covid-19, which provides direction regarding appropriate social policy responses.