WYCLEF JEAN - WYCLEF SLAMS 'UNJUST' HAITI AIDS RESEARCH

WYCLEF SLAMS 'UNJUST' HAITI AIDS RESEARCH

Rapper WYCLEF JEAN has hit out at research that claims the AIDS virus entered the U.S. via his native country of Haiti, branding the study prejudicial and unjust. The report released by the University of Arizona in October (07) called the Caribbean republic of Haiti the "stepping stone" of AIDS and blamed migration from the poverty-stricken nation for bringing the killer disease to America. However, the 39-year-old former Fugees star - who lived in Haiti until his family moved to New York when he was nine - has criticised the findings, insisting the study is detrimental to future research into the battle against AIDS. He says, "World AIDS Day (1Dec07) is an opportunity to evoke the progress and challenges that Haiti must confront in order to fight this epidemic, but also the recent news that unjustly targeted our country and showed serious prejudice. AIDS is a worldwide illness that does not discriminate. Making Haiti the scapegoat only gets in the way of world progress in AIDS research. "Haiti needs the support of the international community to be able to respond effectively to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country and bring its unique response to the global response to the problem." Jean has been named as a goodwill ambassador for the county, where an estimated 40,000 people are said to be infected with the deadly AIDS virus.