The population will be warned about the need to have a test for AIDS within a campaign launched before the World AIDS Day by the Ministry of Health, UNAIDS and the public association “Positive Initiative”, IPN reports.
One of the messages of the campaign is that AIDS concerns us all, even if some think that it does not concern them.
Acting Minister of Health Ruxanda Glavan told a news conference that activities to promote HIV testing and a tolerant attitude to HIV-infected persons will be carried out within this campaign nationwide. Testing should be promoted as an ordinary social norm because it is important for each person to know their HIV status.
According to Glavan, in Moldova there are all the conditions needed for safe, voluntary, confidential and free testing, accompanied by pre- and post-testing counseling. The testing can be initiated by any doctor and is available at the 62 counseling and testing offices opened in the country.
In the same news conference, Ukrainian singer Vera Brezhneva, who is the UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador, said the main goal is to combat prejudice associated with HIV testing. The test for HIV is a crucial step to save your live, the life of your partner and of the future children.
In Moldova, there are over 9,000 HIV-infected persons registered officially. Half of these are young people. According to experts, the real number of HIV-infected people amounts to 17,000.
The campaign “It concerns you! It concerns everyone!” is a regional one and will be carried out in several East European and Central Asian countries in 2015-2016. In Moldova, the campaign is conducted by UNAIDS Moldova and “Positive Initiative” in partnership with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family and the Ministry of Justice, with support from UN Moldova, the Embassy of Sweden and PAS Center.
