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State of Denial

Premiere Date: September 16, 2003

Synopsis

State of Denial reveals the human experience behind one of the world's greatest tragedies — the AIDS epidemic in South Africa. With five million people infected and nearly 2,000 new infections occurring daily, South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV in the world. The film takes viewers into the lives of six people struggling to survive with HIV in the face of social stigma, a severe lack of access to lifesaving treatments, and their president Thabo Mbeki's controversial stance on the connection between HIV and AIDS. A film of quiet outrage, State of Denial weaves the personal with the political in an uplifting portrait of ordinary people struggling to survive.

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TAGS: aids, hiv, south africa

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South Africa Expands AIDS Treatment

From The Daily Beast:

In a move cheered around the world, South Africa marked World AIDS Day by announcing it will expand treatment for HIV-positive children under 1 year old and pregnant women. In a country where one in 10 citizens is infected by HIV, South Africa has long been criticized for its backward views on AIDS. Under the former administration, the health minister promoted garlic and beet treatments to combat the disease. President Jacob Zuma has also been known to make incendiary statements about AIDS, claiming that it could be prevented with a shower. A Harvard study found that ignoring valid medical care led to more than 300,000 premature deaths in South Africa. The new position, lauded by AIDS activists, follows the World Health Organization's new guidelines that call for HIV-infected pregnant women to be treated with drugs earlier and while breast-feeding.

Read more at the Associated Press.

by Theresa Riley from POV,
December 2, 2009, 9:28 AM

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Filmmaker

Elaine Epstein

Elaine Epstein

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