HIV testing 'not a once-off thing'
2011-02-14 14:30
Johannesburg - Testing for HIV/Aids has to be done regularly and is not just a "once-off thing", Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said on Monday.
"... It would be a grave mistake for South Africans to think it's a once-off thing... It's a lifelong thing... You have to just keep on testing," Motsoaledi said in Johannesburg at the launch of a testing campaign targeting first-year university students.
Motsoaledi said the widespread testing and counselling programme launched last year was "progressing well".
"We have now reached close to six million people," he said.
The campaign was launched with President Jacob Zuma getting tested last year, and runs through to June 2011.
Heightened awareness
Motsoaledi said in the duration of the campaign, there was heightened awareness of the necessity for all South Africans to get tested.
But, it was important for South Africans to continue getting tested throughout their lifetime - long after the campaign concluded.
South Africa is the worst affected in the world, with about 5.7m people living with the virus that causes Aids.
The campaign - a public, private partnership - will target first year students at 18 universities across the country.
Motsoaledi said he hoped the programme would be an annual feature of the orientation week at various universities.
Getting tested is only one of nine HIV preventative measures, but is arguably one of the most important, he said.
- SAPA
