Less than a third of South Africa’s 35-million sexually active people get tested for HIV annually, according to health department figures. But the South African National Aids Council (Sanac) says 65% of South Africans have tested for HIV at least once. According to Sanac the country has among the “highest population-level HIV testing in the world”.
However, HIV clinician Sindi van Zyl said it is not sufficient to test for HIV only once in your lifetime if you are sexually active. “Your status can change at any time, even if you’re in a committed relationship, as unprotected sex continually exposes you to the risk of contracting the virus.”