It’s been 36 years since the first case of HIV was reported. Since then more than 25 million people have died from the disease while over 36 million people still live with it. To mark World Aids Day today, Penny Moore and Lynn Morris unpack three new approaches being taken to develop a vaccine using designer proteins while Ryan Wagner and Carolyn Audet explain how traditional healers can ensure that HIV positive people get access to healthcare facilities and onto treatment as soon as possible. You can find a range of additional articles on issues ranging from stigma to new innovations here.

The relationship between elections and democracy has been the subject of debate for millennia. In recent decades there have been instances in which countries have held regular multiparty elections but have continued to violate minimum standards of democracy. Barbara Yoxon looks at Kenya’s most recent elections in this light.