Obama Urges S. Africa to End Denial on AIDS

Sen. Barack Obama said Monday that the South African government must end its denial about the AIDS crisis, and he pledged to set an example for men in Africa by being tested for HIV in Kenya this week.

“There needs to be a sense of urgency and an almost clinical truth-telling about AIDS in this country,” Obama (D-Ill.) said. Otherwise, he said, “the percentage of people who are infected is going off the charts.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which operates a treatment and research center in Kenya, asked Obama to be tested during his two-week trip to Africa.

“It will encourage other people who may be less brave,” said Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who met with Obama on Monday. “Soon, you’re not speaking about someone who is infected like they are pariahs.”

In Khayelitsha, an impoverished township outside Cape Town, Obama toured an AIDS treatment hospital.

South Africa has one of the world’s worst AIDS epidemics. Five million people are infected with HIV, and about 900 die each day of AIDS-related illness, the United Nations says. Its government has been criticized for giving confusing and unscientific information about HIV/AIDS.

President Thabo Mbeki has questioned whether HIV leads to AIDS. The health minister questions the effectiveness of antiretroviral drugs and promotes instead a treatment of olive oil, beets, lemons and potatoes.

A small percentage of people have been tested for AIDS in most African countries. The disease still carries a heavy social stigma.