Pretoria - An HIV testing campaign, targeting first-year students at universities across the country, has spread its message of awareness to young South Africans, with 21 000 students tested since the campaign started four months ago.
The campaign, dubbed 'First Things First', is the voluntary HIV testing, counselling and education campaign launched by Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi at the University of the Witwatersrand on 14 February 2011. The aim is to help South African students, as future leaders, to be responsible, get tested for HIV, know their status and commit to behaviour which will benefit themselves and their peers.
The initiative forms part of government's HIV Counselling and Testing (HTC) campaign launched last year in April by President Jacob Zuma.
It is a collaborative effort between Innovative Medicines of South Africa (IMSA), its member companies, the Foundation for Professional Development, Department of Health and Higher Education HIV and Aids Programme, along with 17 partners in the US President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief.
Since the launch of the campaign, 21 000 students, including 12 000 of whom had never been tested before, got tested at 17 universities and 23 different campuses. Twice as many females as males were tested, with the majority between 19 and 21 years of age.
Ninety-eight percent of those tested said they would encourage their friends to take the test and in addition, students have pledged to: "Know our status, stop the HIV and Aids stigma and contribute to the struggle against HIV and Aids."
IMSA Executive Director, Val Beaumont, commended the achievements of the campaign so far, noting that although it was aimed specifically at first-year students, it was able to reach students at other levels as well.
He said they are currently in the planning phase to extend the campaign to reach students at all levels in the future.
"One of the most positive outcomes of the campaign to date is the DVD produced by the stakeholders, which interweaves the counselling messages by portraying the lives of three students. It's an excellent education and counselling tool.
"Other achievements include the fact that we have developed a model for mobilising HIV testing campaigns, which can be used for a broader student population. We have also created a highly effective network between different testing partners and encouraged the building of relationships between different stakeholders," said Beaumont.
The DVD is available on www.imsa.org.za and is not copyrighted.
Sister Goosen of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University noted that the campaign would not have reached a huge number of people without the collective support.
"This was a great campaign, even if it was very hard work. We must do it again with all stakeholders involved."
