Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
South African Press Association - April 21, 2005
Responding to a question after addressing business leaders in Singapore on Thursday, Mbeki said experts at a World Health Organisation conference in South Africa last week agreed with him that nutrition is a very important aspect of the matter.
He said it is "not merely the availability of taking a pill and that is the end of the story", but that effective Aids contravention requires a healthy body, an effective health-care system and efficient dispensing mechanisms.
"Quite why it became controversial I don't know, to me it was pretty simple," Mbeki said. "That is what caused the controversy, but I think now that people have understood."
The answer was well received by many of the audience, who later said it has explained Mbeki's thinking on the matter, which attracted international attention in 2000.
In a statement issued in Cape Town later, DA health spokesperson Dianne Kohler-Barnard said she is disappointed Mbeki still appears to view Aids as a disease of malnutrition and poverty, to be cured by a healthy diet.
"Medical research shows that healthy eating can, to a point, be effective in holding back the progression of HIV into full-blown Aids. But nutrition alone will not stop the decimation of the CD4 count by the HI virus -- only anti-retrovirals [ARVs] can do that," she said.
The government is spending hundreds of millions of rands on an ARV roll-out programme, having eventually been persuaded that these drugs are the only long-term solution to South Africa's Aids crisis.
Mbeki has a responsibility to support this programme, not undermine it, she said.
"In an environment where dissident views on Aids appear to have such high-level support, Mbeki's comments will only give substance to the perception they foster that ARVs are dangerous poisons."
This could have serious consequences for the health of HIV-positive South Africans.
Mbeki is playing into the hands of "charlatans like Matthias Rath", who is trying to convince South Africans they can cure themselves of this lethal disease with vitamin C tablets, said Kohler-Barnard.
"At the peak of the controversy over his support for Aids dissidents, President Mbeki promised to withdraw from the debate. He would have done better to remain outside of it," she said.
050421
SA050409
Copyright © 2005 - 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 2005. 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, 2005. 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. .