Oprah Winfrey takes HIV test in South Africa

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Jan 9 2007

U.S. talk show host Oprah Winfrey on Saturday took an HIV test at an open day for families at the recently opened Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports.

Winfrey took the test to encourage students and their families to do the same and to encourage openness about HIV/AIDS in the country, according to the AP/Newsday.

Winfrey on Saturday also pledged to provide the 153 students with access to no-cost testing, counseling and treatment.

"To be a great leader you must be of sound mind, body and spirit," Winfrey said, adding, "Part of leadership is having the courage to demonstrate true action."

According to a statement from the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, Winfrey's test results, as well as those of the students, will be kept confidential.

HIV tests are not mandatory for students, and results will not affect participation at the school, according to the AP/Newsday.

The Leadership Academy opened last week, and many of the students come from families affected by HIV/AIDS (Nullis, AP/Long Island Newsday, 1/6).

This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.