AMONG the tributes to Nelson Mandela this week were those extolling his role in galvanising the global effort against HIV. "His actions helped save millions of lives and transformed health in Africa," said Michel Sidibé of UN agency UNAIDS.
Mandela, who died on 5 December, gave speeches at AIDS conferences in Durban, South Africa, in 2000 and Bangkok, Thailand, in 2004.
His address in 2000 is credited with catalysing a scale-up in the supply of antiretroviral therapies to people in Africa with HIV, especially pregnant women. "Every word uttered, every gesture made, has to be measured against the effect it can and will have on the lives of millions," Mandela told the conference. "Mandela had the power to change hearts and minds," said Bertrand Audoin of the International AIDS Society.
This article appeared in print under the headline "Mandela's HIV legacy"
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