Durban - The eThekwini Municipality launched the U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) HIV awareness campaign in partnership with UNAids on Tuesday.
The launch was held as the 11th SA Aids Conference was set to get under way in Durban yesterday.
The campaign aims to create awareness about the scientific evidence that people living with HIV who are on treatment as prescribed, can suppress the virus to such an extent that it will not be sexually transmitted to their partners, meaning they can have children who will also be HIV-negative.
It further encourages people living with HIV to commence, maintain or resume treatment and for those without HIV to use condoms, be faithful to their partners and to regularly get tested for HIV.
Dr Siyabonga Nzimande, chairperson of eThekwini Civil Society, said that they wanted to educate people who were HIV positive about the importance of being on treatment to suppress their viral load.
“This aims at ending Aids. It will be a year-long campaign of educating people so they know that life can be normal and HIV-negative families can be raised,’’ he said.
Dr Thembisile Xulu, CEO of the South African National Aids Council, said that cities have a critical role to play in the fight against the spread of HIV.
Xulu added that the campaign would also be shared on social media platforms as young people were avid Internet users.
The U=U campaign also seeks to focus on children as there are children living with the virus who are not on treatment.
EThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda urged parents to take their children to the clinic and get them started on treatment.
“It is worrying that young people are the hardest hit sector when it comes to new HIV infections. Therefore, we encourage young people to get tested and as parents, we must support our children,” said Kaunda.
To drive the campaign, the city said it has placed 27 peer educators and 14 adherence officers at health facilities to strengthen adherence and retention in care.
“Through this initiative, we have seen the overall viral load suppression rate among patients improving from 62.8% to 77.5%. We are pleased that through these initiatives more people are living longer, with the average life expectancy increasing to over 64.
“Currently South Africa has the biggest antiretroviral treatment programme in the world. We encourage people to get tested and if HIVpositive, to take ARVs,” said Kaunda.