S. African Ruling Party Gives Priority to AIDS Issue
South Africa’s ruling African National Congress put AIDS at the top of its development agenda Thursday, saying the pandemic could derail efforts to build the nation.
In a policy shift after what critics say has been years of neglect, the ANC said it was readying a comprehensive plan to take on the disease.
The ANC’s move follows mounting international criticism of South Africa’s official response to AIDS. Almost 5 million people, or one in nine, in the country are infected with HIV, the virus that causes the disease.
President Thabo Mbeki was sharply criticized after he publicly questioned the scientific link between HIV and AIDS.
Mbeki made only passing reference to AIDS during his keynote address to the conference.
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