Ministry of Information and Media Permanent Secretary Thabo Kawana has encouraged citizens to take the step and learn their HIV status as it is an imperative undertaking.
To commemorate the National HIV Testing Day held today, Kawana took an open HIV test at Kabwata Clinic as a way of taking the lead as a government leader in encouraging citizens to learn their status.
Speaking before taking the test this afternoon, Kawana said HIV was a human health state like any other ailment and does not confine one to death.
“What is important today is that as citizens we know what is as far as HIV is concerned because if you are negative well and good to which you should start doing what you need to do with a lot more advice,” Kawana said.
“In the event that one is found to be positive, I want us to understand that it is knowing that being positive is understanding that now you know you have a condition which is HIV and it does not mean that it is a death sentence.”
Kawana further stressed the importance of adherence to medical prescription to extend one’s life while living with HIV just like any other health condition demands, having learnt to manage a renal disease himself.
“It is like any other condition and you have to learn to live with it and adhere to the to the regimen of medication and you will live longer,”
“I am a renal patient and I survive by dialysis three times a week. I have lived like this for close to five years now so if you have a condition and you adhere to its regimen of medication you will live longer.”
The Permanent Secretary also called on young people in the country to abstain from unprotected sex and having multiple sexual partners to avoid the spread of the HIV virus.
“Another important thing I want to state is that in the event that I am found to be positive I must not take it that since I am positive, I begin to sleep around recklessly thinking that because I am positive then I should be spreading the virus” he stated.
“The danger there is that one may be positive but have HIV 1 as a strain or HIV 2 as a strain. So in the event of sleeping around recklessly, one may re-infect themselves with a different strain of virus.”
