CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2023 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
Don’t miss our latest news! Sign up today for our free newsletter.
Scroll To Top
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
A high-profile AIDS activist, who had vowed not to take HIV antiretroviral drugs until the general South African population had access to them, announced Monday he has begun taking the potentially lifesaving medications. Zackie Achmat, an HIV-positive law student from Cape Town, changed his mind following the government's instructions to the health ministry to plan for the possible distribution of anti-HIV drugs to the public, the South African Press Association reported. South African government officials had previously refused to provide the drugs to the country's HIV-positive citizens through the public health system. Diagnosed in 1990, Achmat, 41, has been leading a new wave of activism to help South Africa's nearly 5 million HIV-infected people. Only one of every nine HIV-positive people in the country can afford anti-HIV medications without government assistance. Achmat's group, the Treatment Action Campaign, has chosen civil disobedience to pressure the government into offering free anti-HIV medications throughout the country. Since August 2002, Achmat has suffered two chest infections and peripheral neuropathy, a degenerative nerve disorder common among people with advanced HIV disease.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Lauren Boebert Caught Fondling Date’s Genitals During Family-Friendly Musical: Video
September 15 2023 11:20 PM
Don’t miss our latest news! Sign up today for our free newsletter.
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Pentagon Says It'll Review Cases of LGBTQ+ Vets Who Were Denied Honorable Discharges: Report
September 20 2023 8:09 PM
Dixon Dallas Gets Candid on Rising Stardom, Handling Critics, and Sexuality
September 20 2023 4:00 PM
Lauren Boebert's 'Rude, Disruptive' Behavior Isn't Surprising, Says Local News Anchor
September 20 2023 3:35 PM