It is a day when the global community holds events to raise awareness of HIV, show support for people living with the virus and also remember those who lost their lives to Aids.
The Reiger Park Community Crisis Centre is among the community organisations that support people living with HIV all year round.
Its management and staff members will commemorate this World Aids Day by looking back on what the centre has so far done to fight the virus, and reminisce about the success of their efforts to support the infected and affected individuals.
The centre, located at 381 Goedehoop Street, Reiger Park, has been creating awareness about HIV and rendering services to people living with the virus and those affected since the late ’90s.
Counselling, monitoring of patients on antiretrovirals, home-based care for the sick, referral to specialists and provision of food parcels are among the services offered by the centre to people living with HIV.
The centre has an adherence team consisting of volunteers who ensure that patients do not default on their medication, and this initiative has shown good results.
Through these services, the centre is keeping many more people with HIV alive. There are clients of the centre who have been on antiretrovirals since 2003 and are still fit and healthy. This has also encouraged more people to start taking their medication seriously and increased treatment literacy among residents.
- Red Ribbon Friday
Although stigma and discrimination remain a reality for many people living with the virus, the management of the centre said they will continue to support people living with HIV and remind the public that the virus has not gone away, through a series of campaigns aimed at increasing awareness and fighting prejudice.
Earlier this month, the South African National Aids Council (Sanac) urged South Africans to mark each Friday from November 10 to December 1 by participating in Red Ribbon Fridays as a build-up to World Aids Day.
Sanac CEO Dr Sandile Buthelezi said this year’s World Aids Day theme, “Let Our Actions Count: It Is My Right to Know My Status, Prevention is My Responsibility”, encourages people to make their actions count and take personal and collective responsibility to prevent new HIV infections.
“We have made significant progress in our efforts to respond to HIV, TB and STIs, but we have not done so well in protecting people from HIV infection – about 270 000 people became newly infected with HIV in 2016 alone,” said Buthelezi. -@FanieFLK
