Abstract Development studies have increasingly lost sight of engagement with long term issues as short term, often consultancy funding, has been available for ever shorter and more ‘practical’ projects. This has meant that one of the most important developmental events—the HIV/AIDs epidemic—has been largely neglected by the development studies community. This article outlines the major developmental implications of the epidemic together with basic information about the disease and the epidemic. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.