HIV testing in South Africa

HIV voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) should be an important part of any country’s response to AIDS. The number of VCT sites in South Africa has increased significantly in recent years, with 4,172 operational by November 2006. Despite this progress, there are concerns about the quality of VCT services in some areas. Reports suggest that counsellors are not always adequately trained, may lack medical knowledge about HIV, and are often overworked.¹⁴

Another problem is that women seem to be accessing testing more readily than men in South Africa. Researchers believe that this is due to fears amongst men that their HIV-positive status will be disclosed through testing, and that stigmatisation will follow. Surveys have also suggested that some men see no value in knowing their HIV status, viewing such knowledge as a burden.¹⁵