Just how important is voluntary counseling and testing for HIV care and prevention?

In Ethiopia, the mayor of Addis Ababa recently demonstrated the emphasis he places on voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) by being publicly tested on national television during the inauguration of a new HIV testing center.

Family Health International, with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under the IMPACT Project, supports 25 public sector VCT sites. Launched in January 2003, the VCT initiative has already served more than 14,000 people throughout the capital.

Ambassador Randall Tobias, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, emphasized how important it is that people know their HIV status as the first step in responding to HIV/AIDS.

Ambassador Tobias dramatized his support for the project by being tested at the Organization for Social Services for AIDS during his April 2004 visit to Addis Ababa.

Photo: Ambassador Randall Tobias joins Dr. Eyob Kamil (center), Head of the Addis Ababa Health Bureau, and the staff of the Addis Ketema Public Health Center in celebrating the success of the voluntary counseling and testing initiative. (Marie Hernandez, courtesy of FHI)