UN AIDS Envoy Puzzled by South Africa's Drugs Stance

During a recent visit to South Africa, Stephen Lewis, UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, said he does not understand why the nation's government does not provide antiretroviral drugs in the public sector. "I look at so many other countries that are really impoverished, and on the human development report lie well below South Africa in terms of per capita income and productivity, and yet somehow they are doing it; for example, Mozambique, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda. They don't have the kind of quite admirable infrastructure that exists in parts of South Africa." Lewis said he has "often felt frustrated at being unable to persuade South Africa that [if it took that step] the response of the world would be overwhelming." Lewis said the tragedy of the epidemic in South Africa is so great that everyone wants to help overcome it. "There is solidarity with South Africa emanating from overthrowing apartheid, which remains to this day."

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