Johannesburg - In continuing with the fight against HIV and Aids, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has launched an HIV testing campaign targeting first year students at universities across the country.
Officially launched on Monday at the University of the Witwatersrand's Medical Campus, the 'First Things First', an HIV testing, counselling and education campaign targets to get more than 30 000 first year students at 18 universities countrywide.
The campaign, endorsed by the Ministries of Health and Higher Education, forms part of government's HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) campaign, launched last year in April.
Speaking at the launch, Dr Motsoaledi said South Africa has one of the most severe HIV and Aids epidemics in the world, with an estimated 5.7 million people living with the virus.
He added that the campaign aims 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 risk of HIV infection escalates when young people go out into the world. With this campaign, we can put all our energy into making a tangible contribution to the government's efforts by adopting a novel approach as demonstrated through the campaign.
"The campaign was made possible when the rules of engagement for HIV testing changed, enabling large groups of people to be counselled and tested. Through a project using mobile testing units, this project has been made possible," Motsoaledi said.
Students have access to pre-counselling through a lively DVD, which interweaves the counselling messages by portraying the lives of three students.
Once tested, students can sign a pledge on the interactive pledge wall. They can also enter a competition with a chance to win incredible prizes, including a Toyota Yaris Zen sponsored by Toyota South Africa.
The Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) has led partners in training 250 staff who are now able to test students on an ongoing basis, ensuring a lasting legacy of testing in tertiary institutions beyond the life of the campaign.
Deputy Minister for Higher Education and Training, Hlengiwe Mkhize, said she hopes the exercise will become an annual event in the Orientation Programmes of South Africa's universities.
"We have written to all the higher institutions informing them about our support for the Health Department and felt that an invitation gave us an anchor on introducing the issue through the Orientation Programme," said Mkhize.
Innovative Medicines of South Africa (IMSA) CEO, Val Beaumont, said the campaign provides an ongoing commitment and hope that the majority of first year students will partner with them in this initiative.
"The campaign aims to change behaviour and we want to create a way of doing things differently. Through the campaign, we are able to change tomorrow," Beaumont said.
The campaign is a collaborative effort between the South African National AIDS Council, IMSA and its member companies, the FPD, Departments of Health and Higher Education, Higher Education HIV and AIDS Programme, Higher Education South Africa, along with partners in the US President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR).
