Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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United Press International - October 27, 2006
Attempting to shake off years of international denunciation for its handling of the problem, the country's deputy president announced the government now believes HIV causes AIDS and antiretroviral drugs must be the main weapon in the country's arsenal, the Washington Post reports.
South Africa has among the highest number of HIV infected citizens in the world with an estimated 5.4 million of its 47 million inhabitants suffering from the disease.
Until recently, the government of President Thabo Mbeki was touting the power of beets and lemons as protective agents against AIDS.
But one adviser who insists on anonymity told the Post the beetroots and lemons are out the window and the government is getting serious about taking action.
"I'm still skeptical, and I'm still waiting for the proof," says Francois Venter, head of the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society. "But there's been a switch, the most hopeful switch in years, over the past four or five weeks.
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