Pretoria - The message around HIV and Aids is reaching more people in Tshwane, as the metro has recorded an increase in the number of awareness campaigns and people on antiretroviral therapy (ART).
A report on the state of HIV and Aids services in the City of Tshwane showed that out of 447 organisations offering treatment-related services, 28.9 percent provide HIV counseling and testing (HCT), 13.9 percent offer ART and 7.8 percent offer prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) programmes.
The report was commissioned by the city to help identify the gaps in its HIV and Aids programmes and respond effectively to the needs of the community.
Presenting the report in Tshwane on Monday, epidemiology consultant Annette Gerritsen said the number of adults (from 15 to 49 years) in need of HCT is estimated to be between 1 136 768 and 1 340 528. Nearly 32 000 people received counseling from the organistions on a monthly basis.
However, the report showed a decrease in the number of pregnant women who are under the PMTCT programme.
"The number of women in need of PMTCT is calculated to be 30 092 for 2010. This is a 35 percent decrease compared to 2009," Gerritsen said.
Member of the Tshwane Mayoral Aids Council, Pleasure Ndlovu, welcomed the findings and attributed the successes to the door-to-door HIV awareness campaigns.
Ndlovu acknowledged that the city had a challenge regarding pregnant women, who were HIV positive but not on the PMTCT programme, as most of them did not want to know their HIV status.
"We encourage them to visit the VCT centres, where they get counseling and understand the programme better. [They will] be put under the programme while they are at an early stage of pregnancy, but most of them come late," Ndlovu said.
He also praised the government's active role in HIV and Aids awareness programmes, optimistically noting that the country would be able to achieve one of the goals of the National Strategic Plan (NSP), which is to get 15 million people tested by June 2011.
The NSP also hopes to halve the number of new HIV infections by 2016.
