Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
South African Press Association (Johannesburg) - January 19, 2003
Health Department spokesman Sibani Mngadi said the experience of health professionals, including traditional healers, from across the SADC region would be pooled, and the conference hoped to draw up guidelines for the use of food supplements.
The question of Aids and nutrition is particularly topical as several SADC countries face critical food shortages at present.
The conference will be addressed by speakers from the United Nations Children's Fund, UNAids and the SADC secretariat, among others.
One of the invited speakers is Dr Roberto Giraldo, an American Aids dissident whose website (www.robertogiraldo.com) says: "Aids is neither an infectious disease nor is sexually transmitted. It is a toxic-nutritional syndrome caused by the alarming worldwide increment of immunological stressor agents."
Mngadi said Giraldo had been invited as an expert on nutrition, not as an Aids dissident. The conference was "not going to look at the causal link between HIV and Aids".
"The policy of the government is based on the assumption that HIV causes Aids. That is why we spend more than R1-billion a year on infectious diseases, including Aids.
030119
SA030105
Copyright © 2003 - South African Press Association. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the South African Press Association, Cotswold House, Greenacres Office Park, Cnr. Victory & Rustenburg Roads, VICTORY PARK, PO BOX 7766, JOHANNESBURG, 2000; Fax No: +27 11 782-1587/8, Tel No: +27 11 782-1600.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2003. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2003. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .