Mayor Dan Plato encourages Capetonians to know their status as World Aids Day is marked

01 December 2020

The City of Cape Town is hosting a series of testing and awareness events to mark World Aids Day across the city at taxi ranks and community facilities

The City of Cape Town is hosting a series of testing and awareness events to mark World Aids Day across the city at taxi ranks and community facilities. The Executive Mayor encouraged people to live responsibly to protect their health and that of others. South Africa has one of the highest rates of infection in the world with 7,7 million people living with HIV.

‘Knowing your HIV status is one of the most important and caring things you can do for yourself and those close to you. Having that information about your sexual health enables one to make informed and responsible choices about your life. I encourage you to get tested and know your status,’ said Executive Mayor Dan Plato.

The symptoms of HIV become more serious and occur more often as the immune system worsens – especially if no treatment is received. This may lead to Stage 4 illness and the diagnosis of AIDS.
Depending on the stage of illness, possible symptoms include:

• Short flu-like illness
• Swollen glands
• Candida (oral or vaginal thrush)
• Skin rashes
• Weight loss
• Diarrhoea
• Opportunistic infections – like Tuberculosis and Pneumonia

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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office