South African president Jacob Zuma has announced that he is HIV-negative as he launched a government programme of counselling and testing.
Although several world leaders have publicly taken HIV tests, this is believed to be the first time a serving president has revealed that he does not have the Aids virus, the BBC reports.
Mr Zuma said he was revealing his HIV status to promote openness and eradicate the silence and stigma that accompanies the Aids epidemic.
He told a crowd at a hospital near Johannesburg that he had now had four tests and all were negative.
Mr Zuma's sex life has been the focus of intense scrutiny and criticism in South Africa. He has three wives and has also admitted to having unprotected sex with other women.
His public stance on Aids has been broadly welcomed, the BBC reports. His predecessor Thabo Mbeki questioned mainstream Aids science and delayed the provision of life-saving drugs.
