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Developments:
Malcolm Gladwell, in The Tipping Point, writes of the role of "Connectors" in spreading social epidemics. Connectors are community members whose vast range of contacts puts them in a strong position to spark new trends or influence behavioural change. They are what African populations ravaged by AIDS need. The stigma surrounding AIDS means most of its victims die rather than admit to being infected. That stigma can be broken if influential individuals admit their infection and tell others it is nothing to be ashamed of. It's not an easy decision to take, and one man who bit the bullet in Hlabisa found that nobody believed his admission because he continued to look healthy. Those Connectors who do spread the message, however, could be the most effective weapons yet in the battle against the virus.
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