GOOD NEWS! Zuma, Reversing Course, Expands HIV Treatment By SARAH CHILDRESS
toddao, perhaps you could warn, President Zuma, as he could be in danger of gaining the wrath of your population control conspiracy people.
South African President Jacob Zuma pledged to expand treatment to all HIV-positive babies and other at-risk individuals, the latest big step in his effort to reverse his predecessor's disastrous policies on HIV/AIDS.
World AIDS Day .. nice image inside seems i cannot copy :( :) Dadang Tri/Reuters Indonesian activists from World Vision lit candles during a World AIDS Day event in Jakarta.
View Slideshow .. Oh! .. the first magnificent, looks the one i couldn't copy! .. most of the rest sad .. not all .. :)
Announcing the measures Tuesday -- World AIDS Day -- before a cheering crowd in the capital, Mr. Zuma also pledged to take an HIV test, an important gesture in a culture where the stigma of HIV/AIDS remains high. Mr. Zuma has been wildly popular with young South Africans, who voted for him in force in elections in April.
South Africa has the world's largest population of HIV-positive people -- about 5.7 million, according to the United Nations. On Tuesday, the U.S. said it would donate an additional $120 million to South Africa for antiretroviral drugs over the next two years to help the country meet a growing demand.
The U.S. Embassy in Pretoria said the donation was a direct response to a plea from Mr. Zuma, and adds to a budgeted $572 million donation to help South Africa combat HIV/AIDS in 2010.
"We are pleased and honored to respond to President Zuma as South Africa's partner in this fight," said Ambassador Donald Gips.
The warm words underscore a shift in the relationship between the U.S. and South Africa, which had been strained in recent years, in part due to American frustration with then-President Thabo Mbeki's slow response to dealing with the epidemic. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited South Africa in August to rekindle that relationship.
As president, Mr. Mbeki consistently denied the link between HIV and AIDS, and instead explored pseudoscientific theories that frustrated South Africa's scientific and health community. His ideas guided the country's health policy, delaying the delivery of antiretrovirals to those who needed them. Mr. Mbeki appointed a health minister, Dr. Manto Tshabalala- Msimang, who suggested those with HIV try home remedies such as beetroot and garlic, rather than antiretroviral drugs.
Agence France-Presse/Getty Images A girl stands by her mother, who receives treatment for HIV at a shelter in Johannesburg. Many South Africans have died for lack of access to drugs.
Mr. Zuma, who took office in May, has vowed to reverse such policies. On Tuesday, he said all children under age 1 who test positive for HIV will receive free treatment, beginning in April. He also pledged to expand treatment for HIV-positive adults who are also infected with tuberculosis, and HIV-positive women who are pregnant.
A team of Harvard researchers estimated last year that more than 330,000 South Africans died from 2000-2005 because they couldn't get access to antiretroviral drugs in time. Mr. Mbeki has declined to comment on the report.
Mr. Mbeki was pushed to resign in September 2008. Almost immediately, the African National Congress party appointed a new health minister, Barbara Hogan, who has taken an aggressive stance on the disease.
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