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Stigma hampering efforts to fight HIV/Aids in SA

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The United States Global AIDS co-ordinator, Ambassador Deborah Birx, says South African government needs to implement policies to achieve results.

Government must ensure citizens get tested for HIV and AIDS.

Birx says less than 50% of men on the African continent know their HIV status. Of the 55 million South Africans, seven million are living with HIV.

Most of them are on ARV dosages, the biggest HIV treatment program in the world. America contributes significantly through its AIDS global fund.

And United States authorities have commended South Africa for its vigorous fight against the disease. But there is still concern about ever escalating new infections among the youth.

US global AIDS co-ordinator Deborah Birx says:”We are on a campaign to find men particularly between 25 and 45, before they get sick, before their immune system is crippled, before we can never bring them back to full health and really get them into our clinics throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and to treatment.”

In South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal has the highest numbers of HIV infections.

Nine million people have tested for the virus in 2017. But health authorities say the stigma is hampering their efforts.

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Health Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo says:”I think we cannot say the issue of discrimination fear has been completely wiped away but we are busy addressing those issues and we hope that it will improve one day and we will have no discrimination against our people.”

Currently ARVs are the tools to fight the virus. Scientists around the world are hard at work trying to develop a vaccine while chances of finding a cure remain elusive.

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