Tag: hiv
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Jul 2, 2010
Reaching the Goal: World Cup 2010 and Health Workers
Until the final match on July 11, much of the world’s attention is on South Africa as it hosts the World Cup, awash in swirling colors, patriotic chants, dramatic last-minute goals and saves, and yes, buzzing, monotonous vuvuzelas. And while hundreds of thousands of soccer fans have converged at the tip of the continent to cheer on their own nations, several health advocacy agencies have leveraged this stage to raise HIV awareness, promote and provide HIV testing , and encourage condom usage among visitors and residents. These efforts are timely and vastly important; nearly one in five adult South Africans lives with HIV, and the virus affects many aspects of life and politics. And as the country hosts revelers from around the globe for a month-long party, the promotion of safer sex messaging and testing is key. A new study lends some insight into just how important it may be. Researchers from South Africa’s Human Sciences Research Council and Imperial College London suggest that an increase in condom usage and voluntary HIV testing, especially among young women, contributed greatly to a 35% decline in new HIV cases in South Africa between 2002 and 2008.... » Read more