South Africa: Disguising Aids in South Africa

South African President Thabo Mbeki's attitude towards HIV and Aids is once again under scrutiny. He claims: "I don't know anyone who has died of Aids." So why does it continue to dominate the problems facing the South African people? People don't actually die of Aids. What kills them tends to be the so-called "opportunist" diseases that thrive because of the damage that the Aids virus, HIV, causes to the body's defence system; infections like TB, pneumonia, and even influenza. So President Mbeki's statement that he does not know anyone who has died of Aids is technically correct. But it is a bit disingenuous, and Aids campaigners say such remarks are profoundly unhelpful.