The Global Epidemic the U.S. Forgot

Like a brush fire, The HIV/AIDS epidemic has spread across the world over the last 30 years, picking up steam in certain areas and losing steam in others. Why?

While rates of infection in Western nations have gone down, there has been an explosion of cases in sub-Saharan Africa, India, China and parts of Russia.

In this two week Around the World special, Christiane Amanpour takes an in depth look at the illness that has defined an era, a disease that strikes fear in all of us.

This week we speak with Craig Timberg, Author of "Tinderbox: How the West Sparked the AIDS epidemic and how the World Can Finally Overcome It". In this intriguing book Timberg and co-author Daniel Halperin challenge many of the established believes held by the international health community on what works and what doesn't in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

In the book, Timberg and Halperin question, among other things, the effectiveness of condoms in preventing the spread of the disease, and the potentially negative impact of Western intervention in African nations where AIDS rates are high.

This week's show takes a looks at the big picture of HIV/AIDS. Next week we look at the disease through the eyes of three individuals fighting on the front line. They'll share their unique stories as they battle this vicious illness.Read more...