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Published: Friday, 30 November 2012 14:09

Ahead of World Aids day tomorrow (Sat 1 Dec) there is a large movement taking place encouraging people to get tested and know their status. Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi took to television to deliver the message himself this morning, proudly displaying a bandage from his own test which has been administered five minutes before he went on-air.

In addition to encouraging people to know their statuses, the Minister also took aim at the stigma surrounding the disease, calling it a disease that affects “human beings”. Meanwhile, groups such as Right2Know have organized their own testing drives, all encouraged at providing easy access to testing facilities for the majority of South Africa’s population.

As World Aids Day approaches, we should take this opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come in the fight against Aids and how far we still have to go. Condoms are more widely available than ever before and remain the most effective way of preventing the spread of HIV. Mother-to-child transmission has been drastically reduced due to the increased availability of anti-retroviral drugs and recent medical breakthroughs have brought us closer to an Aids vaccine than ever before.

At the same time, the disease still carries a terrible stigma, particularly for women in impoverished areas. Efforts to increase the availability of condoms have been met with resistance, while many South Africans continue to indulge in high-risk behaviour, either through lack of knowledge or lack of empowerment.

It’s imperative that everyone involved in the fight against Aids continues to educate, inform and empower.