Get Real on AIDS, Lancet Admonishes

In editorial in the February 12 issue of The Lancet takes South Africans to task for ongoing AIDS-related stigma in the country. Officials say the nation's number of AIDS-related deaths is likely three times higher than official figures because many South Africans refuse to admit that a family member has had the disease. The country's government itself is partly to blame for the ongoing stigma, according to the editorial. Government officials need to 'stop being defensive and show backbone and courage to acknowledge and seriously tackle the HIV/AIDS crisis of its people,' the editorial admonishes.