Bible Key to Stopping HIV/AIDS, Zambia’s Kaunda Says
Former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda yesterday "urged" African leaders to "preach the biblical Ten Commandments and the use of condoms in fighting AIDS ... a merciless killer that knows no boundaries," Reuters reports. Kaunda said that he believes Africa can "conquer the spread of AIDS" by targeting rural areas and fighting "a wall of silence about the epidemic," adding that religion will aid the fight. "If you love your neighbor, you cannot soil his wife or daughter ... This is a basic principle that millions of people around the world refuse to comprehend," he said. Twenty percent of Zambia's adult population is infected with HIV, which has "sliced" life expectancy and "dramatically reduc[ed]" the population. Kaunda also spoke out against the rural custom of wife inheritance, saying that it is akin to "inheriting and spreading AIDS and death," and said he wants to see prevention campaigns taken to the countryside, "where customs still hamper" campaign success (Esipisu, Reuters, 1/4).
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