June 7, 2012

South African Actress Stops Taking Her HIV Meds

South African soap opera actress Lesego Motsepe, an "AIDS ambassador" who has worked to educate children about HIV, has revealed that she quit antiretroviral therapy against her doctor's advice, The Times reports. On the South African talk show 3Talk, Motsepe stated that she was switching to a "holistic regimen" of meditation and a diet of beetroot and garlic because she couldn't bear the thought of taking HIV meds for the rest of her life. The late South African health minister "Manto" Tshabalala-Msimang used to promote a beetroot-garlic diet in lieu of antiretroviral therapy, and that dangerous advice might have played a significant role in South Africa's high HIV incidence and mortality in the previous decade.

To read the Times article, click here.

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Previous Comments:

Tony, , 2012-07-01 00:51:16
How sad. She seems like a genuinly good and selfless person who is lost. As tragic as this is going to be, her public decline will remind the rest of us to continue putting up with the side effects and inconenience of HIV management. Hopefully this keeps a few thousand people away from denialism.

Paul Browde, New York, 2012-06-12 14:58:42
I have lost too many friends and acquaintances who tried the holistic path. While its important to be healthy I am afraid this diet without medication is a recipe for disaster. I hope she is well for a long long time, but I am pleased she is not a friend, because if she were, as a friend I'd say "either you take the medicine or our friendship is over. I do not wish to lose another person".