AFRICA: Economic development as an AIDS antidote

JOHANNESBURG, 18 Aug 2005 (PLUSNEWS) - Economic development might be Africa's best weapon against HIV/AIDS says an expert from the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI), a leading US think-tank.

According to James Glassman, a resident fellow at AEI, this was particularly true because the infrastructure needed to prevent and manage AIDS on the continent was "pitifully lacking".

However, he noted that creating infrastructure and promoting economic development on the continent "will take decades".

A New Hampshire newspaper, The Union Leader, quoted Glassman as saying, "In the meantime, Africans need emergency help ... but, unfortunately, publicity-seekers, thieves and ideologues abound in the world of AIDS relief, and they are damaging the overall effort."

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