BOTSWANA: President's shock warning on AIDS

Botswana's President Festus Mogae has warned that the country cannot sustain the current high rate of HIV infection and that people should "abstain from unsafe sex, or die".

With an estimated 37 percent of the population HIV-positive, Botswana is one of the hardest-hit nations in the world.

But the country is often presented as a model for the roll-out of anti-AIDS drugs in Africa, funded by the Bill Gates and Merck foundations.

However, during an interview timed to coincide with World AIDS Day, Mogae said overseas funding of drugs would not go on indefinitely, and Botswana could not afford on its own to keep up with the rising number of infected people.

Theme (s): Care/Treatment - PlusNews,

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]