Tomorrow I will be going with Ben, Douglas and an outside counselor to do VCT (volunteer, counseling and testing) with a government department in Pretoria as the start of a week long VCT campaign kickoff on the 25th World AIDS Day. I will not be counseling but rather helping the other three with logistics and ensuring that the process runs smoothly. We will be using a test that doesn’t require drawing blood (unless one tests positive for HIV) but instead requires putting a testing device with a swab on the end in your mouth to get saliva which can be tested for HIV. If one is unfortunate to test positive then we use a disposable needle to prick the finger and a confirmatory test to see if they are really positive. If it comes up negative we do a third test and if this is inconclusive we let them know where they can find a clinic to be tested. The tests are supposed to be basically full proof so the results should be correct.
We will only have each person use the swab to test their saliva after someone who is positive gives a talk about “living positively” and Douglas follows this with the beginnings of a counseling session. This will be to a group of upwards of 200 people if possible. The larger the group the better (as more people can choose to know their status) but we will only be able to see about 30 people total tomorrow as counseling can take up to 45 minutes per person if not more if they are positive or require more attention. Then this coming week Doug, Linzi and Ben will be going back to Pretoria to continue counseling the people who will do VCT tomorrow and others who will come to do it. They don’t get their results until they have been counseled and often the counseling that comes after finding out of they are positive or negative is the most important. Positive people need to know how to continue to live a long and healthy life, not infect others and disclose (if they chose to) to their families, friends, partners, etc. Negative people need to know how to stay negative and not get the idea that they are invincible but must practice safe sex or better yet abstain as it is the best way to remain negative.
It will be an interesting way to pass the celebration of a quarter century of HIV/AIDS. I guess that sounds a bit strange but what people need to come to realize is that World AIDS Day is everyday as everyday thousands of people around the world die from AIDS related diseases and thousands more get infected or infect others. Here in South Africa between 900 and 1,000 mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, etc. die from AIDS related diseases. We must not just try to plug up the dykes keeping HIV from infecting or affecting all persons but really react quickly, comprehensively and smartly to this pandemic. Please join me today, tomorrow and until we defeat AIDS to do what you can where you are to combat this ferocious enemy. If we are not part of the solution then we are part of the problem.
1 comment:
We must also not forget that AIDS still affects many in the United States. With so much focus directed towards Africa and developing nations there is a lack of interest, so to speak, in those that are also affected here. Many of the people here with HIV/AIDS do not have access to adequate healthcare or the appropriate medicines.
Post a Comment