The Eastern Cape Department of Health (ECDoH) together with the Eastern Cape Aids Council (ECAC) have moved a step closer towards fighting the Aids pandemic when they launched the massive Testing and treatment Campaign at the Uitenhage Town Hall on the 07th November 2018 under the theme “Tracing and reflecting on the giant steps made by the tireless leaders towards ending the Aids epidemic”.

The campaign launch which forms part of the build-up programmes for the World Aids Day is mainly aimed at testing a target of 10 000 people throughout the province, increase treatment initiation on those tested, intensify education on the viral load suppression programme as well as to trace all the lost to follow up cases through the welcome back campaign and get them back on treatment. 

“We need to arrest some of the issues in Nelson Mandela Bay, we need to get those lost to follow up back on treatment”, MEC for Health Hon Helen Sauls- August said.

“We also need to ensure that we test comprehensively for all cancers, hypertension and target especially men for prostate cancer”, Sauls - August said.

The World Aids Day 2018 will heed the call by the President to test, screen, treat and initiate an additional 2 million people by 2020, this campaign seeks to target key sectors in the HIV&TB prevention like the taxi industry, adolescent girls and young women, men, sex workers and the LGBTQI.

 “We are proud and confident that targets will be reached and we will ensure that we abide by the 90-90-90 strategy and most importantly we work towards an Aids free generation”, MEC Sauls-August concluded.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Municipality was chosen based on the poor performance on the health indicators and is also one of the focus for impact districts with high rate of HIV & TB.

Siya Ndesi from the Man’s sector pledged support for this initiative saying as the sector for men they are with people leading processes and are part of all programmes that have to do with fighting the Aids pandemic.

 “As the Man’s Sector we are here to ensure that men come in numbers to get themselves tested as well as to establish a Civil Society structure in the Metro going forward,” Ndesi said.

Chairperson of the Uitenhage District Taxi Association (UDTA) Mr Siyanda Mbanjwa also joined in pledging support and said they welcome the initiative as the taxi industry. “As the taxi industry we are very pleased as the initiative will change perceptions about us, we pledge to assist in any way we can,” Mbanjwa said.
Mbanjwa went on to declare that their offices can be made Satellite offices that can assist with testing so as to ensure the taxi industry plays a pivotal role in the fight against the Aids epidemic.

Acting Premier for the day Dr P.P Dyantyi called on all men who rely on partners to test for them to start testing for themselves. “I urge all the parents to educate their children to do away with blessers, these people need to stop enticing our children with money only to infect them with HIV”, said Dyantyi.

Ziyanda Mkohliswa