THE National Aids Council (NAC) in Matabeleland North will this month launch a massive 10-day HIV testing campaign in the province.
Report by Sheryleen Masuku
The campaign, targeted at both adults and children, is expected to run between November 12-22. It is being organised in conjunction with the Health and Child Welfare ministry and various other stakeholders.
NAC provincial monitoring and evaluation officer Mthokozisi Moyo told NewsDay yesterday the campaign will be officially launched on November 13 at a yet-to-be-identified location.
“We will have 25 outreach teams in the province covering areas such as Binga, Hwange, Bubi, Lupane, Nkayi and Umguza,” he said. “Preparations for the campaign are in full swing. The drive is aimed at reaching a large number of people including those that are located in remote areas without health centres.
“We want to reach out to other centres without health facilities.” “We want to meet one of the Ministry of Health’s goals for 2015 of eliminating pediatrics HIV infections,” he added.
“We will also be collecting dry blood samples which are more specific in detecting HIV in children.Our goal is elimination of pediatric HIV infections in children. As a result we want to focus on children.”
The province has one of the highest HIV rates in the country.
