Garlic Central News

The Guardian reports that South Africa's Health Minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, has been widely criticised for comments regarding the treatment of AIDS victms.

At a news conference in Cape Town the Minister - dubbed "Doctor Garlic" - refused to be "pushed" into meeting WHO targets for the use of retro-viral drugs, claiming that too little was known about their side-effects. Instead she extolled the virtue of a diet including garlic, lemon skin and beetroot.

Leonard Okello of Action Aid said:

"It is a shame that a minister of health who is expected to provide leadership should be spending time arguing rather than taking action. Every medicine has some side effects - even food has side effects - and the anti-retrovirals are being improved all the time."