World Aids Day: Know your HIV status
JOBURG - loveLife, in collaboration with the National Department of Health, calls upon the young people of South Africa to know their HIV status on World Aids Day, today, 1 December.
The campaign for 2015 is called Toetsa and it will be broadcast in nine official languages on SABC radio stations and over 20 community radio stations across South Africa.
The aim of the campaign is to encourage the youth of the country to get tested and know their status.
It will include public service announcements with the voices of high profile personalities including Amanda du-Pont, Clement Maosa, Cornet Mamabolo, Tshepo Maseko, Presley Chweneyagae and Pearl Thusi, among others.
loveLife groundBREAKERs (peer motivators and community mobilisers) and health care professionals who are involved with the implementation of the National Department of Health’s Adolescent and Youth Friendly Services programme, will be visible throughout the country, encouraging young people to undergo HIV counselling and testing (HCT).
Young people will be referred to the relevant HCT sites such as community and mobile clinics, where they can also check their blood pressure and cholesterol levels, among other things.
The Toetsa campaign is in line with the new 90-90-90 strategy crafted by UNAIDS and is being implemented by the National Department of Health.
According to this strategy by 2020, 90 percent of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status, by 2020, 90 percent of all people with diagnosed an HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy, and by 2020, 90 percent of all those receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression.
This strategy is clearly very dependent on the drive towards HIV testing.
“Just because you haven’t tested, doesn’t mean you are HIV negative,” said Dr Lebo Maroo, loveLife’s deputy CEO.
“It’s important to test for HIV because if you’re HIV negative, you are motivated to keep engaging in healthy behaviour to stay that way. If you’re HIV positive, you can start treatment immediately and lead a healthier lifestyle by eating a more nutritious diet and exercising regularly. You can stay as healthy as possible, live a complete life and contribute to society in a productive manner.
“Knowing your status enables you to make informed, better decisions. You should feel as comfortable about testing for HIV as you are about testing for other health-related issues, for example, your cholesterol and blood sugar levels.”
Get tested in the spirit of World Aids Day and make informed decisions in the future.
Details: 083 323 1023; #Toetsa; iloveLife.mobi
