President Jacob Zuma has buried Aids denialism with the public disclosure of his HIV/Aids test, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) said on Monday.
“Numsa applauds President Jacob Zuma for disclosing his HIV status after taking a public test,” said spokesperson Castro Ngobese.
“Zuma buries the denialism, aloofness, poetic and bookish approach to the HIV/Aids pandemic associated with the presidency during the 10-year tenure of president Thabo Mbeki.”
Zuma revealed he was HIV negative on Sunday after taking his fourth test on April 8.
He disclosed his results to hundreds of people at the launch of the HIV/Aids counselling and testing campaign in the Natalspruit Hospital, east of Johannesburg.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to share my results with all South Africans … to promote openness. I’m sure South Africans will know I am very open.”
“My April results, like the three previous ones, registered a negative outcome for the HI virus,” the 68-year-old said.
However, Zuma said that by disclosing his status his aim was not to put pressure on any citizen to do the same.
“Anyone’s HIV status is private and confidential. Disclosure is an individual decision. We must respect the decisions of those who choose to keep their status confidential, whether positive or negative,” Zuma said.
Zuma was launching a scaled-up counselling and testing campaign aimed at stemming the spread of the pandemic.
The campaign, which hopes to test 15-million people by the end of June 2011, is aimed at providing anti-Aids drugs to 80% of South Africans in need of treatment. The United Nations estimates 5,7-million people in South Africa, out of a population of 48-million, are HIV-positive.
Zuma said the Health Department’s 4 300 clinics and hospitals were ready to provide HIV counselling and testing services to all.
And he said the country would need to tap retired health workers to staff the campaign.
“Due to the size of the testing and counselling programme, and the labour force needed to make this a reality, we have appealed to retired nurses, doctors, pharmacists, social workers and other cadres of health workers to join the campaign,” he said.
Zuma is the polygamist father of 20 who came under the spotlight after he admitted in court in 2006 that he had unprotected sex with an HIV-positive woman. — Sapa, AFP