Helps out hero from Rhodesia (4)
I believe the answer is:
aids
'helps' is the definition.
('aid' can be a synonym of 'help')
'out hero from rhodesia' is the wordplay.
'out' indicates an anagram.
'from' is a deletion indicator.
'rhodesia' with 'hero' taken away is 'dsia'.
'dsia' is an anagram of 'AIDS'.
(Other definitions for aids that I've seen before include "Said to be an international disease" , "Said to be a modern plague" , "Helps with a dread disease" , "Condition following infection with HIV virus" , "Assists" .)