Clinton's advice to beat Aids: stay faithful

Bill Clinton made a plea yesterday for a new emphasis on monogamy as a key element in the battle against Aids.

The former US president, not noted for his ability to keep his own marriage vows, said it was very important to change people's attitudes to sex.

In an interview with the BBC recorded in Africa, Mr Clinton said that increasing support for monogamy was not just a problem for the continent worst hit by Aids but for the world.

"To pretend we can ever get hold of this without dealing with that – the idea of unprotected sexual relations with unlimited numbers of partners – I think would be naïve," he said.

Experts believe that the nature of Africans' relationships may help explain the continent's high rate of Aids. Research suggests a higher frequency of overlapping sexual partnerships.

Mr Clinton said the main challenge to fighting Aids in Africa was improving health services, not a lack of money.

"You can get the universal treatment – the money's there now, if we spend it most effectively. But we don't have the health care systems."