Annan warns of AIDS threat

Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, last week urged the international business community to throw its weight behind the global battle against AIDS, warning that “the epidemic is a threat to civilisation”. Addressing the National Aids Trust in London, Annan urged business leaders to follow the example of companies that have taken steps to protect their workers. He singled these out as Glaxo Wellcome, Chevron in Nigeria, Rio Tinto in Zimbabwe and Eskom in South Africa. “No company and no government can take on the challenge of AIDS alone,” Annan said. “What is needed is a new approach to public health - combining all available resources, public and private.”