What led Mbeki to hold such unorthodox views on AIDS?

Question

Was it stupidity, ignorance or pressure from other high profile figures? And has all that changed by now?

Answer 1

I believe he failed to express the points he was was trying to make and subsequently through his arrogance, he refused to backtrack after critics refuted his misconcepted remarks and made those remarks in their misconcepted form, his official policy.

Answer 2

mbeki is not the brightest crayon in the box. he listens to his advisors - who all spent the best five years of their lives in grade 6.

whether his viewpoint has changed or not, well that depends how much he drank on the day, and if he is lying down or standing.

Answer 3

The following is a video of the HIV/AIDS debate broadcasted on South Africa's national TV. This video will give you a much clearer understanding of Mbeki's posisiton on HIV/AIDs.

http://www.helpforhiv.com/bigstream.htm

Answer 4

I think he is actually afraid to admit that he has such a huge problem with AIDS in the Country.
If you are the President and you admit you have a problem everybody expects you to be able to solve it. Unfortunately I don't think the solution is going to be easy.

Answer 5

I think he switched off before the informative cartoon on AIDS had finished yet and so had to make up the rest as he went along.

I think now he is beginning to maybe, just maybe believe that HIV could, perhaps, sort of cause AIDS.

Answer 6

Common snse.


Every epidemic disease is now renamed 'AIDS' under the Bangui Definition.

Mortalities (non natural) in S.A. remain at the same 2.2% P.A. that they were BEFORE AIDS. Either every other disease in the region vanished overnight or 'AIDS' is simply the old diseases with a new name. You decide.

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In Africa, the continent supposedly being decimated by
HIV, HIV tests are rarely ever done, so there the idea
that all patients with AIDS are infected with HIV is
based entirely on supposition.

At a WHO conference in the Central African Republic in 1985, U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) introduced the "Bangui Definition" of AIDS in Africa.

The CDC officials later explained, "The definition was reached by consensus, based mostly on the delegates' experience in treating AIDS patients. It has proven a useful tool in determining the extent of the AIDS epidemic in Africa, especially in areas where no testing is available.

It's major components were prolonged fevers (for a month or more), weight loss of 10% or greater, and prolonged diarrhea..."(McCormick, 1996). Where AIDS is diagnosed clinically, large numbers of AIDS patients test negative for HIV. As no HIV testing is required in Africa we have no idea how many AIDS cases there are HIV positive (De ####, 1991; Gilks, 1991; Widy-Wirski, 1988).

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Other conditions common in underprivileged and
impoverished communities that are known to cause false
positive results are tuberculosis, malaria, hepatitis and leprosy (Burke, 1993; Challakeree, 1993; Johnson, 1998; Kashala, 1994; MacKenzie,1992; Meyer, 1987). In fact, these are the primary health threats in Africa; several million cases of tuberculosis and malaria are reported in Africa each year - more than all the AIDS cases reported in Africa since 1982 (WHO, 1998)*.

Answer 7

Its not just AIDS - crime is also a perception and SA is in an economic boom. He should have laid off the booze years ago when he still had a few brain cells left.

Answer 8

I dont know, but I had a premonition of Alf's reply: "A bottle of Johnny Walker..." (and the normal Alf rantings...lol)

Answer 9

her name is manto.