Wall Street Journal - September 5, 2006
Marilyn Chase, marilyn.chase@wsj.com

International AIDS scientists, including an American Nobel laureate, sent a letter Tuesday to South African President Thabo Mbeki, protesting the government's unconventional stand on origins of AIDS, and calling for the removal of his health minister who supports a dietary regimen against the viral epidemic.

One of the most severely-stricken countries on earth, South Africa has 5.5 million people living with HIV, or 18.8% of its adult population, according to the United Nations Joint Program on HIV/AIDS.

Years of public protest and private diplomacy aimed at reversing this policy have softened but not ended its stand. The controversy was reignited at the International AIDS Conference in Toronto last month, where South Africa's exhibit defiantly displayed the nutritional regimen.

Tuesday's letter was signed by 65 scientists from a dozen countries including Harvard University AIDS researcher Daniel Kuritzkes and Nobel Prize-winner David Baltimore of the California Institute of Technology.

While praising South African scientists and doctors for working to alleviate the suffering caused by AIDS, the letter charged that the minister's "pseudo-scientific" views had undermined those efforts. The letter added a commendable government plan to treat 380,000 people with drugs had so far reached fewer than half the target group.

One of the co-organizers of the letter, AIDS researcher John P. Moore of Cornell University's Weill College of Medicine in New York City, said there is "simply no scientific rationale" for touting food in lieu of drugs.

"To promote alternative medicines as AIDS cures in South Africa is to kill people," he added, "and it's time for AIDS scientists to stand up against this kind of quackery."

Reached by phone Tuesday evening in Cape Town, the presidential press secretary Mukoni Ratshitanga said that Mr. Mbeki was hosting a visit by Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin, and had no response to the letter, which he had not yet seen.

Late Tuesday evening, Charity Bhengu, a spokeswoman for the health minister, added she hadn't yet seen the letter either.

060905
WJ060903

Copyright © 2006 - The Wall Street Journal. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the WSJ Permissions Desk.

AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Roche and Trimeris, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2006. 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, 2006. 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. .