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South Africa uses World Cup to fight HIV /AIDS
As South Africa prepares to host the FIFA 2010 World Cup, the government is using the excitement created by the tournament to rev up its HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programmes.
Michel Sidibé with Jacob Zuma (right)
Over the next one year, it is planned that over 15 million South Africans will know their HIV status, under the HIV/AIDS Counseling and Testing campaign. Patrick Maigua sent us this report from Geneva.
According to data from the Joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), South Africa accounts for 17 per cent of the world's HIV burden, with an estimated 5.7 million people being HIV-positive. The country has over 3.2 million women, who are HIV-positive. The epidemic has also created over 1.4 million orphans. A major partnership between the government, the civil society and the private sector has been created to raise awareness among nationals and foreigners of the threat of HIV/AIDS and to prevent the further spread of the epidemic. Dr. Yogan Pillay is from the South Africa National Department of Health.
"The HIV counseling and testing campaign is designed to show people that there is no reason to stigmatize people, who are HIV-positive. And we are hoping then that by our leaders in all sectors of the society testing and where they feel that they can, informing people of their results of the test that this process will go a long way to decreasing stigmatization in our society. Of course, the other benefit of the HCT campaign will be knowing your status, acting responsibly if you are both positive or negative, and seeking treatment. We have been working with FIFA to find creative ways of increasing and heightening the social mobilization and communication around the HIV and AIDS throughout the World Cup, with the tourism sector. They they are working with hoteliers to ensure that condoms, for example, are available in rooms."
Dr. Pillay says the government was also working on the control and treatment of Tuberculosis, which affects nearly 70 per cent of all HIV positive people in South Africa. Patrick Maigua, UN Radio,Geneva.
