LISTEN: "I've lost family due to this virus!" Carol Ofori gets HIV tested in studio
"HIV testing is very important and is considered a gateway to making informed decisions about your life..."
It's no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic took the spotlight over the past two years. Which led to all other ailments and viruses taking a backseat.
Including HIV/AIDS, which has been and continues to be a stigmatised virus in South Africa and around the world. It also comes as no surprise that Carol Ofori openly shared that she has lost family members to HIV/AIDS.
Therefore, this year on World Aids Day, she wanted to shine a light on where we stand on this ever-present virus, that still has a thick taboo surrounding it.
Carol Ofori and the team transformed the East Coast Radio studios into a testing station.
In an attempt to remove some of the stereotypes and hush surrounding the virus, Carol even got tested in studio.
She also took the time to chat to some people who work in the field. It is also a good thing to hear from those who are in the mix, because they did not have a break from the virus.
She spoke to AIDS Healthcare Foundation National HIV Prevention Manager Tusani Kunene and Social Worker Kini Lubanyana. Listen to their conversation below.
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After receiving a voice note from a listener, Gillian Lumsden, Carol and the team had to host her in studio.
Gillian recently lost her brother to HIV/AIDS, who only shared his status with her five years after finding out that he was positive.
Which just goes to show how scared he was of being judged, even by his own family. Take a listen to the conversation Carol and Gillian had in studio below.
Carol also chatted with Michelle Potgieter, who runs a home for babies in Bluff. The conversation here steered specifically at the importance surrounding taking your ARVs.
Because she has found that there are less and less babies who are HIV positive that they are caring for.
That certainly sounds like a positive for mothers with HIV, who we can understand must be living with a heavy heart. Listen to what she had to say below.
Image Courtesy of East Coast Radio