South African President vows to treat all babies with HIV

South African President, Jacob Zuma has announced that all babies under the age of one will be treated if they test HIV-positive.



In a speech to mark World Aids Day, Mr Zuma said he hopes anti-retroviral drugs would save infants\' lives.



South Africa has 5.5 million HIV-positive people, the highest number in the world and 59,000 babies are born infected each year.



Currently, treatment is available in South Africa only for people whose immunity levels have been significantly reduced by HIV.



Mr Zuma’s policy overhaul is a marked departure from his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, whose government denied the link between HIV and Aids.



Mr Mbeki’s critics have accused him of causing about 300,000 deaths by not rolling out anti-retroviral drugs to people with HIV quickly enough.