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The Story of Aids: 3. Aids denialism in South Africa

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23/10/2021 GMT

3. Aids denialism in South Africa

BBC World Service - The Story of Aids, 3. Aids denialism in South AfricaSearch BBC

How South Africa became the epicentre of the global HIV-Aids crisis

South Africa became the epicentre of the global HIV-Aids crisis, fuelled by political turmoil and President Thabo Mbeki's Aids denialism and rejection of life-saving treatment.

South Africa is the epicentre of the global HIV-Aids epidemic - a crisis rooted in the country's long history of political turmoil. 

When Aids began to emerge in the USA and Europe in the 1980s, South Africa was a fractured country, divided by Apartheid. During this time, the ruling National Party seemed disinterested in preventing a disease which was mainly affecting black people and gay men. 

But the fall of Apartheid and the inauguration of President Nelson Mandela didn't improve the situation - the country's first black president was overwhelmed with rebuilding a fragile nation, and the problem of HIV-Aids was pushed down the list of government priorities.  

But perhaps the most malignant factor shaping South Africa's response to the Aids crisis, was the influence of President Thabo Mbeki, who bought into conspiracies and misinformation, propagated by a fervent Aids denialism movement. 

Put simply, Aids denialists reject the established science of HIV-Aids - including central truths that HIV is the cause of Aids. There's also a belief that life-saving antiretroviral drugs are actually toxic, and further exacerbate disease by destroying the body's DNA - which is also untrue. 

We explore how the architect of Aids denialism made his way into President Mbeki's inner circle, and how a reluctance to follow medical science had devastating consequences for the country. 

Narrated by Audrey Brown
Written and produced by Richard Fenton-Smith
Sound mix by James Beard

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