Mbeki 'mocking' Aids

2004-02-11 16:19

Johannesburg - President Thabo Mbeki was misrepresenting facts on HIV/Aids and "making a mockery of our illness", Zackie Achmat, chair of the Treatment Action, said on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters in Johannesburg, Achmat said the president had made some "serious factual misrepresentations" in a speech on SABC TV on Sunday.

He said Mbeki was incorrect when he said there were no reliable statistics on deaths due to HIV/Aids - several government-endorsed studies were available.

Mbeki's comparison of Aids and diabetes was "unfortunate", said Achmat: Aids was responsible for 39% of lost life-years, whereas diabetes was responsible for about one percent.

He also said South Africa's HIV/Aids programme was not one of the best in the world, as Mbeki had claimed. Many developing countries with fewer resources offered better treatment.

Rollout

With regard to the rollout of antiretrovirals, TAC national treasurer Mark Heywood contended that the delays were not justified and that capacity was less of a problem than lack of political will.

He said the TAC would be monitoring government's progress and would report on it on March 21.

Responding to the report on the human body's resistance to nNevirapene, Professor Jerry Coovadia said he was aware of resistance issues but there was no suitable alternative.

"Nevirapene still is and will remain a very useful drug."

- SAPA