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World AIDS Day message from KZN's MEC for Health
Dr Zweli Mkhize
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HIV/AIDS has become the most serious global threat to humankind ever experienced. The epidemic is the more serious because it affects all age groups and is particularly prevalent in the youth and young people. The most prevalent mode of transmission of the virus in our province and in sub-Saharan Africa is by heterosexual intercourse. This is where the biggest battle still lies. A lot is being done in this regard by our government through the Provincial HIV/AIDS Action Unit, and its association and partnership with various community organisations and leaders. However, we need to do a lot more.
The persistent denial of the disease, manifesting itself in the intolerable levels of stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS and that people living with HIV are subjected to, indicates the need for more work on social attitudes towards HIV/AIDS. This is something that government alone cannot change. We need the help of community leaders, members of the public and many other bodies.
This year's theme for Worlds AIDS Day, "Live and Let Live", seeks to mobilise all of us into accepting the reality of HIV. We are all affected and it is only by accepting this that we can begin to respond positively to those infected and make them feel part of our society, our communities and indeed our own families.
As the Department, we continue to work tirelessly to fight this epidemic by concentrating our efforts on the prevention of the HIV-negative population from being infected. This means that HIV-negative members of the community have the responsibility of not putting themselves at risk of infection. The majority of the population do not know their status (and this is why counselling and voluntary testing is so important) and therefore have a dual responsibility, as they may be negative or positive.
We will also continue to work tirelessly to manage the epidemic in the care of HIV-positive members of our communities and ensuring that they live and enjoy a quality life without any discrimination, victimisation or recrimination.
And finally, there is the need to care for the adverse effects of the virus - this is the care of patients with AIDS, whose problems are compounded by opportunistic infections, and in the Third World, poor nutrition and poverty further aggravate issues.
We are encouraged by all the positive efforts in the province, and we are also encouraged by the constructive criticism that is necessary if we are to improve our strategies so that we can use our resources optimally and succeed in the war, even if we lose the odd battle. We believe that the emphasis of the Provincial HIV/AIDS Action Unit on prevention and the care of those affected is the correct one, and that this must include educating public so that they are not ignorant of the disease. This will do away with the prejudice that leads to stigmatisation of people.
I want to commend the HIV/AIDS Action Unit for the good they have done since the Unit was established, and challenge them to go the extra mile in their efforts to meet the onslaught of the virus. I wish to thank all those ordinary men and women of our province who have dedicated themselves to working with the government in this battle, and say that your support is highly appreciated.
Only with such partnership will our future World AIDS Day commemorations be about praising ourselves for having managed to get rid of stigma and discrimination from our society and communities. May this World AIDS Day be the one that our communities will forever cherish as the starting point on the road to ending stigma and discrimination. |
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