Campaign encourages prioritising sexual health

Ekurhuleni East TVET College recently hosted the launch of the First Things First campaign spearheaded by the Department of Higher Education and Training and HEAIDS on the College’s Daveyton campus, Gauteng Province.

With slogans such as, “Man up! Raise your finger,” “Make your health your first priority,” “Take responsibility to know your health status,” “Get tested” and “Test today. Own your Tomorrow”, the First Things First campaign aims to encourage students to mitigate the impact of HIV, TB and STIs (sexually transmitted infections) through regular testing and screening. The HIV testing is painless, involving only a finger prick test, and is free and confidential. Pre- and post-test counselling is offered by qualified personnel.

An initiative of the former Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training Mr Mduduzi Manana, the First Things First campaign aims to reach the more than 400 campuses of 76 universities and TVET Colleges countrywide. Principal Happy Sibande stated at the launch, “Our students, particularly our female students, have never needed such an intervention as much as they do now. They are our future.

Yet statistics prove that it is they who are most at risk of infection during this pivotal period of their lives. The national HIV infection rate peaks at the age of 25 with the prevalence among South African women nearly twice as high as men of the same age. This campaign aims to reduce the spread of HIV infections within our sector and in the broader community.

To know one’s HIV status is the basis of caring for oneself, one’s loved ones and the broader community. Through supporting First Things First, the College wishes to instil the habit of regular testing and screening in our young people and encourage them to adopt a lifestyle of healthseeking behaviour.”

By Fiona Mcfarlan