AIDS activist takes first antiretrovirals

South Africa's most prominent AIDS activist has taken his first dose of antiretroviral drugs, news agency Agence France Presse (AFP) reported on Tuesday. Zackie Achmat, chairman of the NGO Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), confirmed his willingness to finally take medication at the country's first national HIV/AIDS conference held recently in the coastal city of Durban. He said the move brought to an end his previous refusal to take HIV/AIDS drugs until the government had committed to a national treatment programme. The government has since announced a national treatment plan that will provide drugs to some 5 million HIV-positive people. Achmat said: "We all recognise that the process the government has committed to is irreversible. Its not a question of if, but when and how."