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South Africa's Huge HIV Testing Campaign

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This is the VOA Special English Health Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglishSouth Africa plans to test fifteen million people for H.I.V. by June of next year. That is almost one-third of its population. South Africa has the most people living with H.I.V. of any nation. The number of infected men, women and children is estimated at more than five and a half million -- or eleven percent of the population. President Jacob Zuma launched the testing campaign on April twenty-fifth in Johannesburg. He announced the results of his latest blood test for H.I.V. He said the results in April, like the three earlier ones, were negative for the H.I.V. virus. He said he was sharing the results to support openness and understanding. The country's former president, Thabo Mbeki, was known for the unaggressive way his government dealt with AIDS. He questioned whether H.I.V. even caused the disease. The new testing and counseling campaign started at a single location in each of South Africa's nine provinces in April. The program will be expanded every two months until fifty-two health centers are offering the service. The government says it will also expand treatment and support services. Francois Venter is a senior director in the Reproductive Health and HIV Research Unitat the University of Witwatersrand. He says the testing campaign may put additional stress on the health system, but that will show where the weaknesses are. He says knowing which areas of the system are going to cause future problems will make the effort worthwhile, even if the goal of fifteen million is not reached. The South Africa National AIDS Council is heading the campaign. The council includes government representatives, medical experts and health activists. The theme of the campaign is "I am responsible. We are responsible. South Africa is taking responsibility." Along with H.I.V., South Africa also has high rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and tuberculosis. Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says the campaign will be used to improve all health care. People who get tested for H.I.V. will also get other services including screening for blood pressure, blood sugar and TB. InJune the eyes of the football world will be on South Africa when it becomes the first African country to host the World Cup. And that's the VOA Special English Health Report. For more health news, go to voaspecialenglish.com.

(Adapted from a radio program broadcast 28Apr2010)
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