Johannesburg
A top U.N. official has written a book criticizing South Africa for spreading lies about HIV and for failing to treat AIDS patients. Stephen Lewis, the envoy to Africa for AIDS issues, writes in Race Against Time that South Africa is “lagging unconscionably” in treatment of its 6.3 million HIV-positive citizens. Only about 78,000 are receiving anti-retrovirals from the government. South African President Thabo Mbeki has said he doesn’t believe that HIV causes AIDS, while Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said that eating sweet potatoes and garlic is more effective for AIDS sufferers than taking anti-retroviral drugs. Lewis wrote that “every senior U.N. official” he has talked to is “completely bewildered by the policies of President Mbeki.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meatThe Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human bloodUnder the radar Drugging the bugs
