Obama hopes HIV test 'leads by example'

Chicago Tribune's Washington Bureau

KHAYELITSHA, South Africa -- Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said today that he intends to get an HIV test here in Africa, hoping to send a message to men across the continent to follow his lead.

"All leaders have a responsibility to speak loudly and clearly about this issue," Obama said, speaking to a group of young AIDS educators in this township outside Cape Town. "Leading by example is the right thing to do."

On the second day of a two-week tour of Africa, Obama visited a hospital here this morning that treats people with HIV/AIDS. He gently criticized the South African government for its handling of the health epidemic that claims as many as 1,000 lives a day.