2007

This kit, offered in both English and Spanish as side-by-side translations, proposes a series of actions and provides tools aimed at increasing the public’s demand for HIV testing and counselling services. It is available from Know Your Status (KYS) Initiative/Hazete La Prueba Iniciativa, a website managed by Comunicación Positiva, a civil society organisation formed by people with HIV and supporters and sponsored by Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). The goal of the Initiative is to help reduce the spread of HIV in the region and to promote universal access to comprehensive care, in fulfilment of Goal 6 of the Millennium Development Goals and Goal 2 of PAHO’s Regional HIV/STI Plan for the Health Sector, 2006-2015.

This kit includes information about the initiative and the status of testing in various countries, the benefits of testing, reference to PAHO guidelines "Scaling up HIV Testing and Counselling Services to Achieve Universal Access", communication strategies, information on and symbols of the "Know Your Status" brand, Awareness Day information (June 27), information on a journalism contest (deadline November 2007), and what is available at the organisation's internet site.

Objectives of the kit and communication tools - brand symbols and posters - include early identification of people with HIV to ensure timely treatment, early identification of those most vulnerable to ensure timely prevention, normalising HIV testing, counselling, and knowing serological status. Actions supported by the materials include: communication support in Latin America to strengthen and expand HIV testing, providing communication tools, identifying and disseminating information on successful strategies, and providing evaluation tools.

The KYS website is under reconstruction (August 2009). The kit is available in booklet format online. For access to the logos, please consult the contact below.

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English, Spanish

Know Your Status website on September 11 2007 and August 19 2009.