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Immigration staff undergo voluntary HIV screening
2007-08-27 08:24:31
By Lusekelo Philemon
About 350 public employees from the Immigration Department over the weekend underwent voluntary HIV counseling and testing to support government efforts to scale down the infection rate in the country.
Home Affairs permanent secretary Mohammed Muya led the employees in the screening exercise.
Muya said the move was an indication that the department was in the forefront in the ongoing campaign to combat the HIV/Aids pandemic.
`This is a positive move towards reducing the scale of the pandemic which continues to claim millions of lives worldwide,` he said.
He noted that combined efforts at the family, workplace and national levels would play an important role in reducing the magnitude of the problem in the country.
`The screening exercise is important as it gives you the opportunity to know your HIV/Aids status. This makes you be in a better position to plan properly for your future,` he added.
Muya also urged employees from other government departments to emulate their example by voluntarily going for HIV/Aids counseling and testing.
`The results from this campaign will help the government to make a thorough evaluation of the success of the campaign and thereafter streamline necessary mechanisms to assist infected employees,` he said.
`It`s the government’s intention to ensure that all infected employees are given necessary medical services and facilities. I therefore encourage you all to voluntarily go for screening,` he emphasized.
An estimated 2 million Tanzanians have been infected with the Aids-causing virus.
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