Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
 |
Voice of America - February 14, 2003
James Donahower
New York
U.S. AIDS activists held a vigil in front of the South African Consulate in New York City Thursday, calling on the South African government to institute a national HIV/AIDS treatment program.
Members of various U.S. based AIDS groups endured bitterly cold temperatures to make their message of solidarity with South African victims of HIV/AIDS.
Amanda Lugg works with the African Services Committee, which serves the African immigrant population in New York. She says that 600 people die of AIDS in South Africa every day, with no end in sight.
"In Province Qunu Natal, which is where [former President Nelson] Mandela is from, they're running out of burial ground. Instead of burying the people horizontally, they're now burying them vertically because there's not enough space," she said.
The South African government estimates over four-million South Africans are currently infected with HIV.
The rally outside the South African Consulate comes in anticipation of a massive demonstration scheduled in Capetown, South Africa, on Friday. Many thousands of demonstrators are expected to flood the streets in what many predict will be the largest HIV/AIDS demonstration in the African nation's history.
Organized by Treatmant Action Campaign, one of the biggest HIV/AIDS activist groups in the world, the demonstration in Capetown will call on South African President Thabo Mbeki to implement a national HIV/AIDS treatment program by the end of this month.
Greg Gonsalvas of the Gay Men's Health Crisis says that if President Mbeki fails to meet the deadline, it will spark even larger protests.
"They are going to start a campaign of civil disobedience in South Africa, which I think is probably unprecedented since the end of apartheid, to urge their government to deliver care, treatment, and prevention for the AIDS epidemic in South Africa," he said.
Mr. Gonsalvas says the rally will likely be one of many in the future across Africa continental.
030214
VA030208
Copyright © 2003 - Voice of America. You are welcome to use any material that is published by voanews.com, or you may link to any of the web pages that Voice of America has published on the internet. There is no need to request further permission. Should you wish to establish a link to any VOA web pages, please send your request to pubaff@ibb.gov. We would appreciate that credit for any use of VOA material be given to voanews.com, Voice of America, or VOA, and we ask that you not abridge or edit any VOA material which you may use.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, iMetrikus, Inc., the 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. .