President Proposes ation With South Africa on HIV/AIDS

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Indian President Proposes ation With South Africa on HIV/AIDS

Publish Date : 10/20/2004 1:28:00 AM Source : Onlypunjab.com

Correspondent

Indian President Abdul Kalam on Wednesday while visiting South

Africa proposed that India and South Africa -- the two countries

with the largest number of HIV-positive people -- begin working

together to fight HIV/AIDS, Indo-Asian News Service/newkerala.com

reports.

Kalam, who is the first Indian president to visit South Africa and

address its parliament, said that the two countries should work

together to fight HIV/AIDS and other problems common to both

nations -- such as poverty and other diseases -- and become a model

for partnership between developed and developing nations.

Kalam said, " It is time that the national and international agencies

join together to mount a concerted program in eliminating " HIV/AIDS

and other communicable diseases (Indo-Asian News

Service/newkerala.com, 9/15).

" We are concerned about [south Africa's] health problems, " Kalam

said, adding, " We have developed a drug in India that can arrest the

development of HIV/AIDS, and it is being produced, " AFP/ News

reports. He did not give any further details about the drug,

according to AFP/ News (AFP/ News, 9/15).

He also said, " India has ventured into the field of anti-AIDS

vaccine and it is in the stage of undergoing various tests " (Indo-

Asian News Service/newkerala.com, 9/15). He did not give any further

details about the drug or vaccine development. Indian generic drug

maker Cipla is a major producer of antiretroviral drugs (AFP/

News, 9/15).

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