South African minister defends progress against Aids

Stressing the benefits of olive oil, garlic and beetroot, South Africa’s health minister today said good nutrition was just as important as anti-retroviral medicines for people infected with the Aids virus and that her government would not be pressured into meeting UN treatment targets.

Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, long accused by health activists of not doing enough to combat the spread of Aids and resisting the use of anti-Aids drugs, said far too little was known about the side-effects of the drugs.