Although all health facilities in the North West province provide antiretroviral (ARV) treatment to close to 190 000 HIV positive persons and was earlier in the week declared the best performing province in availability of ARV and Tuberculosis drugs by the Stop Stocks Out survey, the key to conquering HIV and AIDS and achieving zero new infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS related deaths lies in people knowing their status, Premier Modise has asserted ahead of the Provincial World AIDS Day Commemoration to be held as from 9h00am in Moshana village near Zeerust today.
The provincial commemoration at which Premier Modise will deliver the keynote address will be observed under the theme: “Get Wise, Get Tested, Get Circumcised”.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the risk of HIV is reduced by 60% if a man is circumcised.
World AIDS Day is held each year as an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show their support for people living with HIV and to reflect back on the strides taken in the multi-sectoral HIV, AIDS and TB response.
Currently, South Africa has one of the largest HIV and AIDS treatment programmes with 2.4 million people on treatment.
In the North West, 18.9% of the entire population is estimated to be HIV-infected while 30.2% of pregnant women live with the virus.
On Thursday the province opened its third medical male circumcision clinic at the Bafokeng Community Health Centre in Phokeng near Rustenburg as part of a provincial campaign to reduce the risk of HIV infection amongst men
The clinic will run in conjunction with the Centre for HIV and Aids Prevention Studies (CHAPS) and it will be able to perform over 200 circumcisions per week.
Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele, Spokesperson
Tel: 018 388 3705
Cell: 083 629 1987
Fax: 018 388 3157
E-mail: LKgwele@gmail.com
