The Ministry of Health and Social Services has lauded the positive turnout to its Men’s Health campaign currently underway at Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, which has seen it exceed its target set on the first day.

The services offered at the campaign include HIV/AIDS counselling and testing, PrEP information, and glucose and blood pressure testing.

In an interview with Nampa on Wednesday, Men’s Health National Coordinator in the Department of HIV Testing Services in the ministry, Phillip Hoeseb said that 100 men were tested on the first day, surpassing their 80 men per region target for the entire campaign.

“The aim of the campaign is to test more men as most of them are very reluctant to get tested on their own. The positivity yield for Namibian men is very low and we only mostly test men through the women through the antenatal care period,” Hoeseb noted.

The campaign, which started on Monday, is targeting men between 18-60 years of age who have never been tested before, those who have been tested and just want to be certain of their status, as well as those at risk.

“We are focused on this age group mainly because these are the working class men, who in most cases engage in sexual activity of all sorts, including the buying of and paying for sex,” Hoeseb said.

Speaking to Nampa, Julius Embula, one of the men who got tested at Swakopmund during the campaign, said his decision to get tested stemmed from the fact that he felt it is necessary to not only be aware of his status for himself, but also for his partner.

“I also wanted to be exemplary to my fellow peers and friends to also follow suit and ensure they knew where they stand when it comes to their HIV status,” he said.

The campaign ends on Friday in the Erongo Region.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency