World Aids Day celebrated in Izingolweni
There was a special prayer for all those who died from Aids.
MEC for social development, Weziwe Thusi, saluted all the doctors, nurses, volunteers and those who work in support of the government’s effort to deliver quality health to all those people who are living with HIV and Aids, at a Worlds Aids Day event held in Izingolweni on Monday.
“We have come a long way since the first diagnosis of HIV three decades ago and we now have a better grasp of what needs to be done. With this knowledge, we can say without fear of contradiction that the advances we have made will take us a step closer to an Aids-free world,” she said.
“The government has set goals that by 2020, 90 percent of the people should know their status, 90 percent of people who are HIV positive should be receiving ARVs and children under the age of one should also be receiving free treatment,” she said.
She also emphasised the importance of testing every six months and encouraged everyone at the event to be tested.
Ugu deputy mayor, Mondli Chiliza emphasised the importance of educating people on HIV. “We do need more campaigns to teach people about the virus, because a lot of people are still in denial,” he said.
“The Ugu district is among the districts which have high HIV statistics, – even though the number is decreasing, the number of those who are positive is still high on the South Coast,” he added.
He also warned against discrimination towards those who are living with HIV. He encouraged those who had family members who were already HIV positive to take care of them and not discriminate against them.
The MEC also handed out hampers to disadvantaged families who were identified by by Ezinqoleni Municipality.
The event was hosted by the KwaZulu-Natal Social Development, together with the Ugu and Ezinqoleni municipalities.
