Botswana President Starts Lesotho Visit, AIDS on Agenda

Botswana President Festus Mogae arrived today in the tiny southern African kingdom of Lesotho on a three-day visit in which HIV/AIDS will figure prominently on the agenda. Mogae, a guest of King Letsie III, is scheduled to address the Lesotho Parliament later today and meet formally with the king and address a public rally Thursday. On Friday, Mogae is expected to meet with HIV/AIDS support groups and patients. UN figures show almost one-third of Lesotho's population of nearly 1 million are infected with HIV. Botswana has the highest HIV infection rate in the world, with nearly 40 percent of adults infected among a population of 1.5 million. Around 110,000 people are thought to be in critical need of antiretroviral therapy in Botswana, and AIDS-related illnesses account for almost 60 percent of hospital treatment in the country.

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