South Africa’s ‘Rough Patch’ Now Over, Ntsaluba Says
South African President Thabo Mbeki's public questioning of the causal relationship between HIV and AIDS led the country through a "rough patch" in its ability to fight the disease, South Africa's Director-General of Health Ayanda Ntsaluba "conceded" on Thursday, Reuters reports. "We did go through a rough patch ... (after) the advisability of questions [Mbeki] raised," Ntasaluba said, but noted that there was "full political backing" in the country's fight against AIDS. "There is political leadership in the HIV/AIDS problem. [The] Cabinet is fully behind it and I am sure the president will be an active participant at the U.N. Conference (on AIDS)" in June, Ntsaluba said (Reuters, 4/12).
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