DAR ES SALAAM, Dec 1 (AFP) - Tanzania's President Benjamin Mkapa Friday urged the country's residents to take AIDS tests in a bid to curb the spread of the disease.
"The AIDS pandemic can effectively be reversed if all of us test for HIV and then strictly follow advice by experts," said Mkapa in his address to the nation marking World AIDS Day.
He said parents should insist that their children take the HIV test before marriage and advised women to check their HIV status before deciding on motherhood.
Official records show that as of December last year, there were 8,850 full-blown AIDS cases in Tanzania. Another 1.75 million people, almost six per cent of the country's population, were infected with the HIV virus, which causes the disease.
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