Despite efforts to tackle the HIV/AIDS epidemic the global prevalence of the disease is still increasing. Some 42 million people are infected with HIV and fewer than 5% have access to adequate treatment. The World Health Organisation has declared the epidemic a global health emergency. Now a call has been made for governments to step up the response by declaring states of emergency and instituting full disaster management.

The United Nations defines a disaster as “any serious disruption of the functioning of a society, causing widespread human, material or environmental losses which …