South Africa's AIDS care thrown into confusion

A storm of controversy was sparked in South Africa when President Thabo Mbeki claimed that zidovudine has toxic side effects and is dangerous to health. In October 28, 1999, Mbeki said that the government was under pressure to ensure availability of the drug in public hospitals. He also argued that there are pending cases about the drug's toxicity and that it would be responsible to ignore the warnings of medical researchers. Glaxo Wellcome, the drug's manufacturers, said that the president appeared to have been "gravely misinformed." Their spokesman further said that the drug was approved a decade ago by regulatory authorities worldwide, and neither was there any legal action on its safety pending anywhere. Moreover, the drug was endorsed by WHO, UNAIDS, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. AIDS activist also rejected Mebki's claims. Lastly, Human Rights Commission ruled that the government's decision to prevent the use of the drug in the public health sector could go against the constitutional right for universal health care accessibility, including primary health care and reproductive health.