School: a place for children to learn their HIV status?

摘要

The South African Government has announced that it will soon launch a controversial step in its national campaign to test 15 million people for HIV by June this year. Under the plans, children and adolescents will be offered voluntary HIVtesting and counselling in high schools. The details of the initiative are thin at present. The health department has promised that the campaign will be "professional" and "responsible"; that testing will be done in private spaces on school premises during weekends and school holidays; that it will be phased in; and that extensive monitoring and evaluation will be done. An expert task team has been set up to work on implementation, including the provision of age-appropriate counselling, support, and care, and they will make their recommendations public in due course.